{"slug":"trump-pre-presidency-sexual-misconduct-allegations","title":"Sexual Misconduct Allegations: 26 Women Prior to E. Jean Carroll Civil Verdict","date":"1980-01-01","lastUpdated":"2020-10-01","description":"Before E. Jean Carroll's civil verdict (documented separately), at least 26 women had publicly accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct ranging from unwanted kissing and groping to rape, covering incidents allegedly occurring from the 1980s through 2013. The accusations became a major focus during the 2016 campaign, particularly after the Access Hollywood tape — in which Trump described grabbing women without consent — gave accusers additional context. Trump denied all accusations, threatened to sue multiple accusers, and called them liars. No criminal charges were filed; the Carroll civil case resulted in the only judicial findings.","summary":"The women who accused Trump of sexual misconduct covered a range of circumstances: models and contestants at Trump-owned beauty pageants, women at events and parties, employees in business settings, and strangers at social venues. The common elements across many accounts were unwanted kissing or groping in private settings with no witnesses. After the October 2016 Access Hollywood tape, in which Trump said 'when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab 'em by the pussy,' multiple women came forward stating the tape described what Trump had done to them. Trump called all accusers liars and threatened to sue them.","category":"civil-rights","severity":"major","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/18/us/politics/trump-women-accusations-misconduct.html","title":"Crossing the Line: How Donald Trump Behaved With Women in Private","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-accusations-sexual-misconduct/2020/09/01/story.html","title":"A comprehensive list of women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct","publisher":"The Washington Post"},{"url":"https://apnews.com/article/trump-sexual-misconduct-accusations-women","title":"At least 26 women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct","publisher":"The Associated Press"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["sexual-misconduct","civil-rights","pre-presidency","Access-Hollywood","women","accusations"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"1980-01-01","title":"Earliest alleged incidents — 1980s beauty pageant context","summary":"Multiple Miss USA and Miss Teen USA contestants later alleged Trump walked into their dressing rooms while they were changing — allegations covering events in the 1980s and 1990s."},{"date":"2005-09-16","title":"Access Hollywood tape recorded","summary":"Trump tells Billy Bush that 'when you're a star' women let you 'grab them by the pussy.' The recording is made during a bus ride before an Access Hollywood segment. It is stored for 11 years before publication."},{"date":"2016-10-07","title":"Access Hollywood tape published","summary":"The Washington Post publishes the Access Hollywood tape. Trump characterizes it as 'locker room talk.' Within days, multiple women come forward saying the tape described what Trump had done to them."},{"date":"2016-10-08","title":"Wave of accusers — 12+ in October 2016 alone","summary":"In the weeks following the tape's publication, more than 12 women publicly accuse Trump of sexual misconduct. Trump calls them all liars and threatens to sue after the election."},{"date":"2021-01-01","title":"Zervos case settled","summary":"Summer Zervos settles her defamation case against Trump after years of litigation. The settlement terms were not publicly disclosed."}],"location":{"name":"New York, NY","lat":40.7128,"lng":-74.006},"custom":{"era":"pre-presidency","posture":"reported","warCrimeClassification":"enabling","internationalLaw":[],"iccRelevance":false,"victims":"At least 26 women who accused Trump of sexual misconduct and subsequently faced public attacks, threatened litigation, and harassment","structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"Primary accused; denied all allegations; threatened to sue accusers; used hush money payments to suppress some allegations before and during the 2016 campaign","institution":"Private / Trump Organization"}],"updateLog":[{"date":"2020-10-01","summary":"Documented count of 26+ accusers as of October 2020."}]}}