(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump criticized Harvey Weinstein’s politics and said he was “never a fan,” a day after the film producer was convicted of sexual assault.
“He said he was going to work hard to defeat me,” Trump said Tuesday during a press conference in New Delhi, adding that he hadn’t been briefed in detail on Monday’s verdict. “The people who liked him were Democrats.”
Weinstein, 67, has been the most high-profile prosecution related to the MeToo movement that has sought to expose cases of sexual misconduct perpetrated by men in positions of power.
The former Hollywood power broker was found guilty of a criminal sexual act with a maximum sentence of 25 years, and third-degree rape for forcing oral sex on two women whom prosecutors said he lured with promises of career advancement. Weinstein is appealing the verdict.
The issue of sexual misconduct has clouded Trump’s tenure in the White House and his 2016 campaign to get there. The president has been accused of unwelcome sexual advances by several women, including E. Jean Carroll, who said Trump assaulted her in a department store dressing room more than 20 years ago. Trump has denied the claims.
Asked what the Weinstein verdict meant for women, Trump said: “From the standpoint of women, I think it was a great thing.”
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