Paris Hilton apologises for Donald Trump sexual assault remarks

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Paris Hilton has backpedalled on her controversial remarks about the women who accused Donald Trump of sexual assault after she was criticised on social media.

In an interview conducted last year and published in a feature on Hilton in Marie Claire, Hilton dismissed disparaging and sexual comments Mr Trump had made about her when she was 12-years-old as “people saying things that they normally wouldn’t say”. She said that the comment “wasn’t creepy at all”.

Journalist Irin Carmon also asked her about Mr Trump’s now-infamous Access Hollywood conversation with Billy Bush, where he told the talk show host that he could “grab [women] by the pussy” because he was rich and famous.

“I’ve heard guys say some pretty crazy things,” Hilton said in apparent defence of the now US President. “Like, worse than that. So I think that when someone doesn’t realise they’re being filmed or recorded, they say things. Especially with a guy.”

However, it was her response to Ms Carmon’s question about the women who had accused Mr Trump of sexual harassment and assault that caused uproar on social media. Mr Trump has always denied any accusations of sexual assault made against him.

“I think that they are just trying to get attention and fame,” the former reality star said. “I feel like, a lot of people, when something happens all these opportunities will come out. They want to get money or get paid to not say anything or get a settlement when nothing really happened. So I don’t believe any of that.”

Thousands of people on social media called her out over the remarks, while other publications ran articles accusing her of hypocrisy, as she has previously claimed that she is a feminist.

Attempting to backtrack, Hilton has since released a statement which said: “I want to apologise for my comments from an interview I did last year. They were part of a much longer story and I am regretful that they were not delivered in the way I had intended. I was speaking about my own experiences of life and the role of media and fame in our society and it was never my intention for my comments to be misapplied almost a year later.

“I always believe in helping women have their voices heard and helping create an environment where women feel empowered and believe in themselves. I am deeply hurt by how this has played out and also deeply sorry. Moving forward, I will continue to do what I can to be an advocate for girls and women with the hopes of providing a louder voice for those who may desperately need it.”

Hilton previously claimed that she voted for Mr Trump in the presidential election. In the Marie Claire interview, however, she said that she had not voted at all.