Sexual Misconduct Allegations: The Access Hollywood Tape, 26-Plus Accusers, and Threats to Sue
Tier 3Ongoing Pattern2005-09-16 to 2024-10-28
Factual Summary
At least 26 women have publicly accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct, with allegations spanning from the 1970s through the 2010s. The accusations include rape, sexual assault, groping, unwanted kissing, and walking into dressing rooms unannounced. Trump has denied all allegations and threatened legal action against his accusers.
On October 7, 2016, one month before the presidential election, the Washington Post published a 2005 recording from the set of "Access Hollywood" in which Trump described his approach to women in explicit terms. Speaking to host Billy Bush, Trump stated: "I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab 'em by the pussy. You can do anything." Trump characterized the recording as "locker room talk" and apologized in a video statement, saying: "I said it, I was wrong, and I apologize."
In the weeks following the tape's release, multiple women came forward publicly to allege that Trump had subjected them to the conduct he described on the recording. Among the named accusers were Jessica Leeds, who alleged that Trump groped her on an airplane in the early 1980s; Rachel Crooks, who alleged that Trump kissed her without consent outside an elevator in Trump Tower in 2005; Natasha Stoynoff, a People magazine writer who alleged that Trump pushed her against a wall and kissed her at Mar-a-Lago in 2005; and Kristin Anderson, who alleged that Trump reached under her skirt at a Manhattan nightclub in the early 1990s.
During the October 22, 2016 presidential debate, Trump stated: "All of these liabilities are totally and completely made up, and I will be suing all of them." Few of those threatened suits were ever filed.
Former model Amy Dorris alleged in a 2020 interview with The Guardian that Trump sexually assaulted her at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in 1997. Stacey Williams, a former Sports Illustrated model, alleged in October 2024 that Trump groped her in Trump Tower in the early 1990s while Jeffrey Epstein was present, bringing the public tally of accusers to at least 27.
The most significant legal resolution came in the case of E. Jean Carroll, a magazine columnist who alleged that Trump raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. In May 2023, a federal jury in Manhattan found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll and defaming her, awarding her $5 million in damages. In a separate defamation action arising from Trump's denial of Carroll's claims, a jury awarded Carroll an additional $83.3 million in damages in January 2024. The Carroll case is documented in detail in INDIV-001.
Former contestants in the Miss Teen USA pageant alleged that Trump walked into dressing rooms while contestants, some of whom were minors, were changing. In a 2005 appearance on the Howard Stern Show, Trump stated: "I'll go backstage before a show, and everyone's getting dressed and ready and everything else. And you know, no men are anywhere. And I'm allowed to go in because I'm the owner of the pageant. And therefore I'm inspecting it. And they're standing there with no clothes."
Primary Sources
1. Access Hollywood recording, September 16, 2005 (published by the Washington Post, October 7, 2016)
2. Carroll v. Trump, jury verdict, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, May 9, 2023
3. Carroll v. Trump, defamation damages verdict, January 26, 2024
4. Trump statement at October 22, 2016 presidential debate: "I will be suing all of them"
5. Howard Stern Show interview, 2005, Trump's statements about entering pageant dressing rooms
Corroborating Sources
1. ABC News: "List of Trump's accusers and their allegations of sexual misconduct"
2. Vice News: "26 Women Have Accused Trump of Sexual Misconduct. He Finally Has to Face One in Court," January 2023
3. Axios: "Trump sexual misconduct claims: Stacey Williams 27th woman to accuse him," October 28, 2024
4. 19th News: "Defend and deny: What we know about Trump and accusations of sexual misconduct," October 2023
5. The Guardian: "Former model Amy Dorris accuses Trump of sexual assault at US Open in 1997," September 2020
Counterarguments and Context
Trump has denied every allegation of sexual misconduct. After the Access Hollywood tape was published, Trump described his recorded comments as "locker room talk" and stated that his words did not reflect his actual behavior. His attorneys argued in the Carroll case that the encounter never took place and attacked Carroll's credibility. In public statements, Trump characterized his accusers as motivated by fame, political opposition, or financial gain. He stated during the 2016 campaign that several of the accusers were not attractive enough for him to have pursued. Trump's supporters noted that many of the allegations were decades old, that several accusers came forward only during the presidential campaign, and that the timing suggested political coordination. The Carroll jury verdicts, which found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, represent the only instance in which an accuser's claims were adjudicated and resulted in a finding against Trump. The remaining allegations have not been tested in court.
Author's Note
This entry is classified as Tier 3 because the pattern is documented through primary evidence: the Access Hollywood recording is Trump's own words captured on tape, the accusations are public statements by named individuals, Trump's debate threat to sue is on video, and the Howard Stern interview is a matter of public record. The Carroll case, which resulted in adjudicated findings of liability, is documented separately in INDIV-001. This entry documents the broader pattern and the specific named incidents that constitute the public record. The entry does not make findings about the veracity of individual allegations beyond those that have been adjudicated.