In a disjointed press conference on Friday, Donald Trump vehemently denied any wrongdoing in response to a $5 million jury verdict that found him liable for sexually assaulting and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll. His latest public appearance, marked by confusion and self-contradiction, failed to provide clarity or accountability.
Trump dismissed the verdict, asserting that the assault “never happened” and that he had never met Carroll. “I was found guilty of something I didn’t do,” Trump declared, “with a woman I have never seen, touched, or been involved with, nor would I want to be.”
The former president faces over $88 million in damages from two separate cases involving Carroll. This latest conference comes amidst a backdrop of accusations from at least 26 women who have alleged various forms of sexual misconduct by Trump, spanning several decades.
One notable instance was Trump’s stumble in recalling Natasha Stoynoff’s name, a People magazine reporter who has accused him of sexual assault. During the press conference, Trump awkwardly searched through his notes, unable to recall her name mid-sentence.
The accusations against Trump have been numerous and varied. Since the publication of the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape in 2016, where Trump boasted about groping women, many have come forward with their own stories of harassment and assault. Trump has broadly dismissed these allegations as “fabricated” and politically motivated. Despite his promises to sue his accusers, no legal action has materialized on his part, though two women have filed lawsuits against him.
Trump has consistently labeled these accusations as false, claiming that they are part of a smear campaign orchestrated by the media and his political adversaries.
Trump’s denials and attempts to discredit his accusers have not quelled the flood of stories. From accusations of groping to unsolicited kisses, the allegations against him include:
Jessica Leeds: Claimed Trump groped her on a plane in the late 1970s.
“He was like an octopus. His hands were everywhere,” Leeds said, adding that she fled to the back of the plane.
Ivana Trump: Accused him of raping her during their marriage.
“Then he jams his penis inside her for the first time in more than 16 months. Ivana is terrified … It is a violent assault,” a transcript of the deposition claims.
Kristin Anderson: Alleged Trump touched her inappropriately at a nightclub.
“So, the person on my right who, unbeknownst to me at that time was Donald Trump, put their hand up my skirt. He did touch my vagina through my underwear, absolutely. And as I pushed the hand away and I got up and I turned around and I see these eyebrows, very distinct eyebrows, of Donald Trump,” she told The Washington Post.
Jill Harth: Reported Trump’s unwanted advances at Mar-a-Lago.
“He was relentless,” Harth told the New York Times. “I didn’t know how to handle it. I would go away from him and say I have to go to the restroom. It was the escape route.”
Amy Dorris: Described a forcible assault at the US Open in 1997.
“He just shoved his tongue down my throat and I was pushing him off,” Dorris told The Guardian. “And then that’s when his grip became tighter and his hands were very gropey and all over my butt, my breasts, my back, everything … I was in his grip, and I couldn’t get out of it.”
Other accusers include Cassandra Searles, who described being treated like “cattle” during the Miss USA pageant, and Alva Johnson, who said Trump kissed her without consent at a rally in 2016.
In May 2023, a Manhattan jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. He was ordered to pay $5 million in damages.
Watch the clips below:
Trump says his photo with Jean Carroll “could've been AI-generated."
(It's not) pic.twitter.com/Cl92iTOgZD
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) September 6, 2024
Donald Trump: “She said in 1979 I was in an airplane with her, a commercial flight, and we became very intimate…I was famous then, too. I've been very famous for a long time…never happened by the way.”
pic.twitter.com/hiy4AyxXhl— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) September 6, 2024
During the press conference, Trump fumbled while searching for the name of Natasha Stoynoff, a People magazine reporter and one of his accusers, in his notes.
Dementia J. Trump is rambling about a People Magazine reporter for 15 minutes who said he sexually assaulted her and then he doesn’t remember her name and can’t find it in his notes. pic.twitter.com/0vJiEuLNTz
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) September 6, 2024
