A popular writer and columnist for Elle magazine accused President Trump of raping her 23 years ago.
E. Jean Carroll, 75, penned a cover feature for New York magazine detailing an instance of alleged sexual assault by Trump in the mid-1990s. The article, which was published Friday, highlights six different men whom she considers to be part of her personal list of “Hideous Men,” which includes 21 total names. In addition to Trump, Carroll also includes an instance of alleged assault by former CBS CEO Les Moonves. She also names former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes as one of the “Hideous Men.”
The incident involving Trump is said to have taken place in the upscale Manhattan department store Bergdorf Goodman. Carroll details a flirtatious encounter between herself and Trump while he was shopping for lingerie for an unnamed woman. According to Carroll, the two ended up in a lingerie dressing room where Trump pinned her down and proceeded to assault her. She says she was eventually able to push him away and flee, but the assault had already occurred.
The White House quickly issued a statement denying Carroll’s account. “This is a completely false and unrealistic story surfacing 25 years after allegedly taking place and was created simply to make the President look bad,” a statement said.
Trump as been accused of sexual misconduct by at least 20 women, many of whom came forward over the past few years. Trump and officials from the White House have categorically denied all allegations.
Claiming that she feared retribution from Trump’s fans, lawyers, and later his political supporters, Carroll said she chose to keep the story to herself until now. She said, “His admirers can’t get enough of hearing that he’s rich enough, lusty enough, and powerful enough to be sued by and to pay off every splashy porn star or Playboy Playmate who ‘comes forward,’ so I can’t imagine how ecstatic the poor saps will be to hear their favorite Walking Phallus got it on with an old lady in the world’s most prestigious department store.”
Carroll said she told two women who were close friends about the encounter soon after, both of whom work in media. One woman advised Carroll to go to the police and file a rape charge against Trump. The other warned of Trump’s powerful allies and told her to keep the story quiet.
They are unnamed in the article, but New York magazine claims they were able to verify that Carroll told them about the incident 23 years ago.
