Sexual Misconduct Allegations: 26 Women Prior to E. Jean Carroll Civil Verdict

Overview

By the time the 2016 campaign ended, more than 26 women had publicly accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct. He called all of them liars. He threatened to sue them. In no case did he file suit against an accuser.

The one civil case that was litigated — Carroll v. Trump — resulted in jury findings of sexual abuse and $88.3 million in combined verdicts.

The Access Hollywood Tape

The tape from 2005, published by the Washington Post in October 2016, documented Trump describing his conduct with women: "When you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab 'em by the pussy."

Trump called it "locker room talk." Multiple women then came forward and said: that is exactly what he did to me.

The Pattern

The accusations shared common elements: private settings, no witnesses, unwanted physical contact described as grabbing, kissing, or groping. The circumstances ranged from beauty pageant dressing rooms to office meetings to parties and nightclubs. The women who came forward were from different decades, different industries, and different relationships to Trump.

The common thread was the Access Hollywood tape's description of behavior they said they had personally experienced.

The Non-Prosecution Pattern

None of the alleged incidents resulted in criminal charges. The statute of limitations had run on most alleged conduct; others were beyond prosecutorial scope. The Carroll civil case — which Trump's own public statements made possible by creating new defamation — was the only judicial resolution.

The hush money operation (documented separately) was designed specifically to prevent some of these accounts from reaching the public before the 2016 election.