Trump’s long, storied history of taking dictators and alleged abusers at their word

Kim Jong-un knew nothing about the death of American student Otto Warmbier, who spent 17 months in detention in North Korea.

That, at least, is the story Kim told US President Donald Trump this week in Hanoi, Vietnam. Trump was perfectly happy to take it at face value. “I will take him at his word,” Trump told to reporters Thursday (Feb. 28.)

Similar protestations of innocence have frequently persuaded Trump of the innocence of other authoritarian leaders, and others accused of wrongdoing or terrible crimes. That holds even when there’s considerable evidence to the contrary.

Here’s a list of highly controversial figures Trump has chosen to stand by:

• Corey Lewandowski, March 2016: Trump’s former campaign manager was charged with with misdemeanor battery after an altercation with reporter Michelle Fields, which she said left her bruised. At the time, Trump defended his campaign manager, telling reporters: “I think it’s a very very sad day in this country when a man could be destroyed over something like that.” (Lewandowski was eventually fired in June 2016, and accused of sexual assault in December 2017.
• Roger Ailes, July 2016: The former head of Fox News, and a close friend of Trump, was accused by more than two dozen women of sexual harassment. Ailes resigned from Fox, but was quickly hired as an advisor to the Trump campaign, where he assisted with debate preparation. Trump publicly defended his old friend, calling him a”just a very, very good person,” and questioned the motives of his accusers.
• Bill O’Reilly, April 2017: Following revelations that Fox News and O’Reilly had paid off five women who accused the former host of sexual harassment or verbal abuse, Trump told the New York Times that O’Reilly was a good person. “I think he shouldn’t have settled,” he said. “Because you should have taken it all the way. I don’t think Bill did anything wrong.”
• Roy Moore, November 2017: The Republican US Senate candidate in Alabama faced opprobrium from leading members of his party after repeated allegations of sexual misconduct with teenagers. But Trump was swayed by Moore’s protestations of innocence, telling reporters: “He totally denies it.”
• Rob Porter, February 2018: The former White House staff secretary was accused of domestic abuse last February—the evidence included an incriminating photo of his ex-wife’s bruised face. He eventually resigned—but left the White House with a glowing reference from the president.“He has a wonderful career and he will have a great career ahead of him,” he said.

Clarification: This story was updated to reflect that both Fox News and Bill O’Reilly had settled in the wake of allegations of abuse.