Melania Trump blames Donald's horrific sexual remarks on the world's greatest villain, Billy Bush

Donald Trump’s presidential campaign is trying out a new explanation for the candidate’s years-old, sexually lewd remarks caught on tape, with Melania Trump saying in a new interview that host Billy Bush “egged on” her husband.

In a promo clip ahead of a CNN sit-down interview with the would-be First Lady on Monday night, Trump says she didn’t recognize the man who infamously counseled Bush to grab women “by the pussy.”

“I said to my husband that the language is inappropriate, it’s not acceptable,” Trump told Anderson Cooper. “I was surprised, because that is not the man I know.”

The former model also suggested her husband and Bush – who lost his gig hosting the “Today” show over the video controversy – didn’t know their mics were hot when they made light of sexual assault on tape, a conclusion which seemed immediately obvious to anyone watching the video.

They were using “boy talk, and he was kind of led on – like, egged on – from the host to say dirty and bad stuff,” Trump said. When Cooper followed up to ask if Bush egged Trump on, she responded, “yes.”

Cooper also asked Trump if her husband has used that language before around her.

“No, no, that’s why I was surprised,” she replied. “I don’t know that person that would talk that way.”

The full interview airs tonight on CNN at 8 p.m. ET.

Watch the clip via CNN: