Trump Once Called Diddy a 'Good Guy', Said He Would 'Stick Up For Him'?

Claim:

Donald Trump once called Sean “Diddy” Combs a “good guy” and said he was “going to stick up for him.”

Rating:

Correct Attribution

About this rating

Context

Trump made the comment in a 2012 episode of "The Apprentice."

In September 2024, a rumor circulated (archived here) claiming former U.S. President Donald Trump once said hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs was "good guy" and he would "stick up for him." The posts spread soon after Combs was arrested and charged with sex trafficking.

Among sources that spread the rumor was the entertainment news site Meaww. It published the headline, "Watch Trump stand up for 'good guy' Diddy in old 'Apprentice' clip after Aubrey O'Day suggests otherwise." O'Day is a singer and former member of Danity Kane, a girl group that Combs formed. Also, in a mid-September 2024 show, comedian Jimmy Kimmel brought up Trump's alleged comments, too.

(X user @777_IS_666)

Trump did indeed praise Combs using those words in 2012. He made the comments in the first episode of the 12th season of "The Apprentice," the reality competition show that judged the business acumen of contestants and Trump hosted between 2004 and 2017. As such, we determined this claim correctly attributed.

This particular season of the show featured a number of celebrities, including O'Day. We found a copy of the full episode via the Internet Archive, and it can be seen here.

The moment in question occurred at the 1:09:25 mark, after O'Day was asked whether she thought another contestant should remain on the show:

O'Day: But I have to say, I am a very strict and focused businesswoman because working for Diddy for six years trained me to have to be perfect.

Trump: Working for Diddy?

O'Day: Absolutely.

Trump: I love Diddy. [...] You know he is a good friend of mine. He's a good guy. Is he a good guy?

O'Day: I don't want to answer that question.

Trump: Oh well, I think he's a good guy, I'm going to stick up for him.

O'Day publicly criticized Combs in 2022, alleging she was kicked out of Danity Kane in 2008 because she refused to fulfill non-music-related requests for Combs. After his 2024 arrest, she said she felt "validated," posting on X: The purpose of Justice is to provide an ending and allow us the space to create a new chapter. Women never get this. I feel validated. Today is a win for women all over the world, not just me. Things are finally changing."

We have covered the music mogul's purported ties to other high-profile figures, like U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, as well. We reported how a miscaptioned video and fake photograph falsely claimed Harris attended a party with Combs in 2001, when, in reality, she was there with television host Montel Williams.

Combs was arrested in New York in mid-September 2024 after being indicted by a federal grand jury. The three-count indictment alleges sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and interstate transportation for prostitution, as reported by The Associated Press. He also faces a number of court cases over sexual assault allegations. The rapper was in jail and awaiting trial, as of this writing.