President Donald Trump has suggested Mike Tyson made a mistake by testifying in his own rape trial in 1992. Trump gives his account in a new Netflix documentary, TYSON, which premieres on Tuesday.
Tyson, 60, was convicted of raping then-18-year-old beauty pageant contestant Desiree Washington at the Canterbury Hotel in July 1991. The boxing icon was sentenced to six years in prison, though he ultimately served only three before his release in March 1995.
Trump's role in Tyson's career
Trump was involved in Tyson's career at the time and helped promote several of his fights in the late 1980s and early '90s. The Convention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, which was connected to Trump Plaza, hosted bouts against the likes of Michael Spinks, Carl Williams and Alex Stewart.
Specifically, Trump has suggested Tyson may have harmed his own defence by giving testimony. Tyson testified in an Indianapolis court for 78 minutes, insisting his encounter with Washington was consensual, which led to accusations of inconsistencies in his account from the prosecution.
Trump's comments on the testimony
"I think Mike shouldn't have testified," said the sitting president during his cameo on the docuseries. Trump was himself found liable for the sexual abuse and defamation of writer E Jean Carroll in a federal civil jury in 2023.
"I'm not sure that he did a bad job in testifying. But one thing with Mike, he's very truthful. And I think the truth hurt him...in this case."
TYSON features accounts from those close to the famed boxer, as well as his personal bodyguard and others. One friend, Dawn Milhouse, suggests he "never stood a chance" of winning the trial in Indianapolis due to alleged racist roots in the state.
Evidence and testimony in the trial
However, the third episode of the series also features an account from Dr. Thomas Richardson, an emergency room physician at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis at the time. Richardson, who examined Washington when she went to the hospital the day after agreeing to visit Tyson, said she had abrasions consistent with sexual assault.
Other beauty pageant witnesses who had also met Tyson around the time of the allegations noted his forthcoming nature regarding his intentions. One recalled how Tyson would go from girl to girl asking if they wanted to date, highlighting some intentionally steered clear of him as a result.
Tyson's testimony in court appeared to back up those accounts as he admitted in court: "I explained to her that I wanted to f*** her."
He maintains his innocence and belief the encounter was completely consensual in the documentary, saying: "She never said 'no'. I didn't cross a line."
An account from Tyson's chauffeur at the time, Virginia Foster, also worked against his defence. Foster testified under oath that Washington looked more dishevelled and appeared to be "in a state of shock" when she returned to the limousine in the early hours of the morning. Foster also alleged Tyson had previously exposed himself to her in a hotel room and made advances on a separate occasion.
Tyson's continued support for Trump
Trump's relationship with Tyson appears to be alive and well today. Just this week, Tyson appeared at a Trump rally in Syracuse, New York, ahead of the US mid-term elections and called him "my president."
Addressing a crowd of Republican supporters, he added: "There's no way in the world I would ever be here if it wasn't for a president like Donald Trump."
