A Running List Of The Women Who’ve Accused Donald Trump Of Sexual Assault
All their stories in one place.
On October 8, The Washington Post published footage from 2005 of
serial misogynistDonald Trump bragging that as a famous man, he can get away with anything. Like kissing women without waiting for permission. And
grabbing women by the pussy. Trump has defended these comments, repeatedly, as
“locker room talk.” When pressed on it by Anderson Cooper during the second presidential debate, he said that he absolutely had not sexually assaulted women.
But since Trump’s remarks emerged ― and well before then ― women have shared their allegations of sexual abuse against the Republican presidential nominee. Below is a working list of women who’ve accused him of sexual misconduct. If there are any we’ve missed, or if you have any tips, e-mail
women@huffingtonpost.com. This post will continue to be updated.
* * *
Jessica Leeds
Her account: More than 30 years ago, Leeds was traveling for work when she sat next to Trump on a flight to New York. Leeds, who is now 74,
told The New York Timesthat she and Trump spoke for a bit, then about 45 minutes into the flight
he lifted the armrest between them and began to grab her breasts and put his hand up her skirt. “He was like an octopus,” she
told The New York Times. “His hands were everywhere.”
Trump’s response: Trump vehemently denied the story. An attorney representing him has called upon The New York Times to retract it and has threatened to sue the publication. (
The New York Times responded.)
When we found out: October 12, 2016
When she says it happened: The early 1980s
Rachel Crooks
Her account: Crooks says she was assaulted by Trump in an elevator while working as a receptionist for a real estate investment and development company in Trump Tower.
She told The New York Times that upon meeting Trump, she introduced herself and shook his hand, but he would not let go.
Trump began to kiss her on the checks, then directly on the mouth. “It was so inappropriate,” she
told the Times. “I was so upset that he thought I was so insignificant that he could do that.” Crooks was 22 at the time.
Trump’s response: See above
When we found out: October 12, 2016
When she says it happened: 2005
Mindy McGillivray
Her account: McGillivray, 36,
told the Palm Beach Post that Trump groped her while she was attending a concert at Mar-a-Lago, his
estate-slash-private-club in Palm Beach, Florida. She was there to help a friend who was photographing the concert, when she says Trump groped her. “
All of a sudden I felt a grab, a little nudge. I think it’s Ken’s camera bag, that was my first instinct. I turn around and there’s Donald,” McGillivray
told the Palm Beach Post. “This was a pretty good nudge. More of a grab,’’ she continued. “It was pretty close to the center of my butt. I was startled. I jumped.”
Trump’s response: A day after the account was published,
CNN reported that Trump’s campaign was drafting a lawsuit against the paper.
When we found out: October 12, 2016
When she says it happened: 2003
Natasha Stoynoff
Her account: In a harrowing essay for People, Stoynoff ― a journalist ― described how Trump assaulted her while she was interviewing him and his wife, Melania, at their Palm Beach estate.
She writes that at one point, Trump insisted on giving her a private tour of the grounds, at which point he pinned and kissed her: “Trump shut the door behind us. I turned around, and
within seconds, he was pushing me against the wall, and forcing his tongue down my throat ... I was grateful when Trump’s longtime butler burst into the room a minute later, as I tried to unpin myself.”
Trump’s response: At a campaign rally, Trump
questioned her claims saying, “Look at her. ... I don’t think so.”
When we found out: October 12, 2016
When she says it happened: 2005
Temple Taggart McDowell
Her account: The year that Taggart was crowed Miss Utah, Trump had just taken ownership of the Miss USA pageant. She says that when she was first introduced to him, he kissed her ― an account Trump
has vehemently denied. “
He kissed me directly on the lips,” Taggart McDowell
told The New York Times when she came forward with her story. “I thought, ‘Oh my God, gross.’ He was married to Marla Maples at the time … I was like ‘Wow, that’s inappropriate.’”
Trump’s response: Trump told NBC he doesn’t know who she is and denies he ever assaulted her.
When we found out: May 2016
When she says it happened: 1997
Cassandra Searles
Her account: Yahoo News reported that over the summer, Cassandra Searles ― Miss Washington 2013 ― posted a photo on Facebook of her fellow contestants and the question: “Do y’all remember that one time we had to do our onstage introductions, but this one guy treated us like cattle and made us do it again because we didn’t look him in the eyes? Do you also remember when he then proceeded to have us lined up so he could get a closer look at his property?” In a follow-up comment on the post,
she reportedly added: “He probably doesn’t want me telling the story about that time
he continually grabbed my ass and invited me to his hotel room.”
Trump’s response: N/A
When we found out: June 2016
When she says it happened: Not totally clear, but presumably in 2013
“Jane Doe”
Her account: In June, a California woman — “Jane Doe” ― filed
a lawsuit alleging that Trump raped her at a party when she was 13 years old.
As Buzzfeed reported, an initial hearing in the case has been scheduled for December 2016.
Trump’s response: Trump has vigorously denied the claims, saying that the lawsuit was designed to smear his presidential campaign.
When we found out: June 2016
When she says it happened: 1994
Jill Harth
Her account: Harth worked with Trump in the 1990s (she and her partner operated a what is ostensibly a calendar model competition called American Dream Calendar Girls), but it ended in a bitter legal battle. In a 1997 lawsuit, Harth alleged in court documents that
Trump repeatedly sexually harassed her, at one point groping her under the table. (The documents
were surfaced by The Boston Globe.) Though she eventually dropped that suit, she stands by her story. “How can people not believe me now?”
she asked “Inside Edition” after footage of Trump saying he grabs women by the pussy emerged.
Trump’s response: In a
May New York Times article on Trump’s treatment of women that also included Harth’s account, Trump said it was, in fact, Harth who had pursued him.
When we found out: April 2016
When she says it happens: 1993
Ivana Trump
Her account: In a 1992 deposition during their divorce, Trump’s first wife described an incident in which
she says her then-husband forced her to have sex with him. (
Spousal rape is still rape.) The deposition came to light in the 1993 Trump biography
Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump.
Ivana later softened her claims, saying that she “felt violated” as the love and tenderness she was accustomed to from her husband was not there that night, but that she was not accusing him of a crime. She followed-up with
a statement in June telling CNN “the story is totally without merit.”
Trump’s response: He
denies it ever took place.
When we found out: 1993
When she says it happens: 1989
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.
A Running List Of The Women Who’ve Accused Donald Trump Of Sexual Assault
This is bad enough - but I suspect the list will grow.