NYT Columnist Faces Backlash for Blaming Trump on Cornell Assault Case

Clear Facts

• A woman filed a civil lawsuit alleging she was gang-raped by seven Cornell University students in 2024 during a ketamine- and alcohol-fueled incident.
• New York Times columnist Michelle Cottle publicly blamed President Donald Trump for creating a cultural environment she claims contributed to the alleged assault.
• The incident occurred while former President Joe Biden held office, prompting widespread online criticism of Cottle’s comments.

The New York Times columnist Michelle Cottle drew sharp criticism after linking the alleged Cornell gang rape to President Donald Trump’s influence on American culture.

Appearing on ABC News, Cottle argued that Trump bears responsibility for what she called a broader societal disrespect toward women.

“What this is, is it’s a fundamental disrespect for women,” Cottle said on ABC News on Sunday. “You can’t send those messages no matter how drunk you are as a frat boy without having some kind of misunderstanding about what women are there for and whether this is a real person you’re dealing with.”

“And that, I think, starts, you know — we can go to the president for this one,” Cottle continued. “I mean, we are in a moment in this culture where the glorification of being thuggish and swaggering and mistreating women is kind of making you a cool kid.”

The alleged assault took place in 2024, when Joe Biden was president.

A woman identified in court documents as Jane Doe claims seven men gang-raped her during an alcohol- and ketamine-influenced encounter at Cornell University. The men have denied wrongdoing, with some asserting the encounter was consensual and others claiming they were not involved. No criminal charges have been filed.

Critics quickly pointed out the timeline mismatch in Cottle’s remarks.

“This happened in 2024 when Biden was President. Did she not know that?” one social media user asked.

“Latest edition of ‘Trump turned me into a newt!’ brought to you by a very very smart person,” CNN contributor Scott Jennings posted.

Former Department of Homeland Security official Tricia McLaughlin called the claim “embarrassing and so incredibly lazy.”

Conservative commentator John Ziegler wrote that the argument is “SO far beyond delusional that you can’t even see sanity from here.”

President Trump weighed in on the case, criticizing New York Attorney General Letitia James, who was assigned to investigate the allegations.

“Well, Letitia James is a corrupt person,” Trump said. “She’s totally corrupt, and I can’t imagine it — I feel badly for whoever she’s looking at because they won’t get a fair shake. Letitia James is a corrupt person.”

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