Did Trump say he feels badly for ‘Cornell 7’ because they ‘won’t get a fair shake’?

A rumor circulated online in early October that U.S. President Donald Trump said he feels “badly” for the seven current or former male Cornell University students whom a female former student accused of rape. 

Trump purportedly made the remarks while answering a question about New York Attorney General Letitia James’ appointment as a special prosecutor to investigate the case.

Snopes readers asked about this claim via email, with one person inquiring, “I saw something that says Donald Trump said he feels bad for the ‘Cornell 7,’ but can’t find reputable sources. True??”

In sum, people correctly attributed this statement to Trump. A C-SPAN video shows Trump standing outside the White House on Oct. 2 and responding directly to a reporter’s question about the Cornell case, thrice calling James corrupt and saying he feels “badly” for “whoever” James prosecutes, alleging that defendants she targets “won’t get a fair shake.”

James previously sued Trump and his associates in a civil fraud case beginning in 2022, leading to Trump repeatedly targeting her on social media.

In an emailed response, White House spokesperson Lauren Bis referred us to Trump’s own comments, adding that the White House believes James has weaponized the justice system to unjustly target the president.

Digging into the rumor

The Cornell accuser, identified in court documents only as Jane Doe, claims the seven men sexually assaulted her at the Chi Phi fraternity house on Oct. 19 and 20, 2024. She filed a lawsuit against the seven men, the university, the fraternity and others, in mid-September.

On Sept. 28, Tompkins County, New York, prosecutors announced they were reopening the criminal investigation, citing a “discrepancy” between Doe’s original statement and the allegations in the lawsuit.

Prior to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointing James as a special prosecutor to investigate the case on Oct. 1, James posted a statement of compassion for Doe on her official social media accounts, writing, “What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable. I’m holding her in my heart and in my prayers. To her, and to all survivors: you’re not alone. We stand with you.”

In an example of the claim from Oct. 2, a Facebook post (archived) displayed a meme reading, “This is disgusting: Trump just said he ‘feels badly’ for the people accused in the Cornell rape case because Letitia James is now overseeing the investigation. Not one word for the victim.”

(Really American via Facebook)

Other users shared the rumor about Trump’s remarks on Bluesky (archived), Facebook (archived) and X (archived). Some posts didn’t mention James but did include a video showing a reporter’s question about James and Trump’s answer. Examples of those posts appeared on Bluesky (archived), Threads (archived) and X (archived).

The remarks occurred when Trump spoke to a group of reporters outside the White House. Videos show Fox News’ Peter Doocy asking Trump about Hochul appointing James as a special prosecutor:

DOOCY: What do you think about New York’s governor appointing a special prosecutor in the Cornell rape case, Letitia James?

TRUMP: Letitia James is a corrupt person. She’s totally corrupt and I can’t imagine it. And, I feel badly for whoever she’s looking at because they won’t get a fair shake. But Letitia James is a corrupt person.

C-SPAN posted remarks on social media. (Readers can also watch the full press gaggle on YouTube, with the pertinent moment beginning at 6:24.)

Trump has made other remarks about the Cornell case. During a similar gathering of reporters on Oct. 1, a video shows an unidentified reporter asking Trump, “Mr. President, do you think that Cornell University has done enough to investigate the alleged rape on campus?” Trump answered, “Well, I don’t know that much about it but Cornell is a fine school, and I’m sure they’ll do what’s right.” (Readers can watch that full gaggle on YouTube, with the Cornell question occurring at 11:43.)

Trump has also posted about the case on Truth Social (archived), labeling it “the highly controversial Cornell University rape case” and questioning why Hochul would appoint James.

For further reading, we previously reported Trump authentically expressed well wishes to Ghislaine Maxwell, the close associate of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, prior to her conviction on federal sex-trafficking charges.

Sources