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

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.

Record summary

Grade

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Executive actions that exceed constitutional authority, circumvent statutory constraints, or weaponize government institutions for political ends. Scale and definitions

Status
Concluded
Incident date
Record updated
Location
New York, NY
Category
Civil Rights
Legal posture
Reported
War-crime classification
Enabling conduct
Verification
Cross-referenced
ICC relevance
No
Sources
3 cited
Stable ID
trump-pre-presidency-sexual-misconduct-allegations
Victims
At least 26 women who accused Trump of sexual misconduct and subsequently faced public attacks, threatened litigation, and harassment
Alleged responsible parties
  • Donald Trump, Primary accused; denied all allegations; threatened to sue accusers; used hush money payments to suppress some allegations before and during the 2016 campaign— Private / Trump Organization

Key points

  • By October 2016, at least 12 women had publicly accused Trump of sexual misconduct; by 2020 the number exceeded 26; accusers included former models who alleged groping at beauty pageant events, employees who described unwanted advances, and strangers at social and business events
  • The October 7, 2016 Access Hollywood tape — in which Trump told Billy Bush that he would 'grab them by the pussy' and that 'when you're a star, they let you do it' — was explicitly referenced by multiple women as describing conduct he had directed toward them; Trump called the tape 'locker room talk'
  • Kristin Anderson alleged Trump groped her under her skirt at a 1990s Manhattan nightclub; Lisa Boyne alleged Trump required women to walk across a table and looked up their skirts at a dinner party; Rachel Crooks alleged Trump kissed her without consent in Trump Tower; multiple Miss USA and Miss Teen USA contestants alleged he walked into their dressing rooms while they were partially undressed
  • Summer Zervos, a former Apprentice contestant, alleged Trump groped and kissed her without consent at a Beverly Hills hotel in 2007; she filed a defamation lawsuit after Trump called her a liar; the case was litigated for years before being settled in 2021
  • Trump threatened to sue multiple accusers following their allegations; his legal team sent cease and desist letters to several; in no case did he file suit against an accuser; the Carroll defamation case — which Carroll filed in response to Trump's attacks on her — resulted in the largest judgment
  • The 'catch and kill' arrangement with AMI/National Enquirer (documented separately) suppressed some allegations, including Karen McDougal's, before the 2016 election; the Stormy Daniels payment (resulting in Trump's criminal conviction, documented separately) suppressed another

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.

Update log

  1. Documented count of 26+ accusers as of October 2020.

Sequence of events

  1. Earliest alleged incidents — 1980s beauty pageant context

    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.

  2. Access Hollywood tape recorded

    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.

  3. Access Hollywood tape published

    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.

  4. Wave of accusers — 12+ in October 2016 alone

    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.

  5. Zervos case settled

    Summer Zervos settles her defamation case against Trump after years of litigation. The settlement terms were not publicly disclosed.

Sources

  1. Crossing the Line: How Donald Trump Behaved With Women in Private — The New York Times
  2. A comprehensive list of women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct — The Washington Post
  3. At least 26 women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct — The Associated Press

How this record was published

Manually curated This entry was added directly and does not carry an automated audit trail.

About our editorial methodology →

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