Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
How many women have publicly accused Donald Trump of sexual assault, harassment, or rape by name?
Executive summary
Counting the women who have publicly named Donald Trump for sexual assault, harassment, or rape depends on the outlet and its criteria: reported tallies range from about 16 women alleging assault to as many as 69 women alleging some form of sexual misconduct (with many outlets clustering around mid-20s). Major compilations commonly report roughly 25–27 named women; PBS counted 16 women who accused him specifically of sexual assault (including at least one rape allegation) while several news outlets and compilations list about 25–26 women who have publicly accused him of varying misconduct [1] [2] [3].
1. Different tallies reflect different definitions
The main reason counts diverge is definitional: some tallies count only allegations that meet a news outlet’s standard for “sexual assault” or “rape,” while others include broader “sexual misconduct,” harassment, groping, or anonymous/pseudonymous lawsuits. PBS’s catalog specifically counted 16 women alleging various forms of sexual assault (including one explicit rape allegation) and noted additional public claims that it treated separately [1]. Other outlets group harassment and assault together and arrive at higher totals—Business Insider and multiple compilers have listed about 25–26 named women [3] [2].
2. What the mid-20s lists include
Compilations that report roughly 25–27 women typically include long-published claims (for example, Jessica Leeds, Jill Harth, Jessica Drake, E. Jean Carroll), later public disclosures (for instance, E. Jean Carroll’s widely reported allegation and suit), and some claims tied to lawsuits or anonymous filings [3] [2]. The Guardian and other outlets explicitly said “no fewer than 25” women had gone public before certain new claims were added; some outlets marked later additions to reach 26–27 named accusers [4] [5].
3. Why higher counts appear — dozens to dozens-plus
Some commentary pieces and columns aggregate a broader universe of allegations, sometimes including less-publicized complaints, anonymous or pseudonymous plaintiffs, and accounts from many decades; those pieces can cite “dozens” or even attribute figures like “as many as 69” women based on wide net collections or columnist summaries [6] [7]. Such higher numbers often reflect an intent to capture the broader cultural record rather than only legally adjudicated or widely corroborated incidents [7].
4. Court findings vs. public accusations
Legal outcomes and media tallies are distinct. E. Jean Carroll’s civil case resulted in a finding of sexual abuse (and subsequent legal rulings around defamation), and some sources emphasize that outcome as unique among the allegations [8]. Available sources do not claim that all other named accusers ever had their allegations resolved in court; many remained public accusations without criminal convictions or civil judgments tied directly to the alleged incidents [8] [1].
5. Timeframe and additions matter
Counts are time-sensitive. Many lists were compiled after the 2016 Access Hollywood tape and then updated when additional women spoke publicly. For instance, Business Insider’s compilation and other news outlets updated their lists to include new accusers through 2023 and 2024, producing similar mid‑20s totals [3] [9]. The Women’s Agenda and Guardian pieces note later additions such as Stacey Williams and Amy Dorris, which pushed some lists to 26–27 names [5] [4].
6. Competing perspectives and implicit agendas
Different publishers emphasize different storylines: investigative outlets often aim for careful counting and separation of assault versus harassment (PBS), mainstream publications compile named accusers for public context (Business Insider, The Guardian), while opinion or column-driven pieces may emphasize scale for a broader argument about power and culture (Jessica Bennett in The New York Times cited by others) and can produce larger totals like “69” [1] [3] [7]. Those variations reflect editorial choices about scope, verification, and the story’s purpose.
7. How to interpret the numbers responsibly
A careful reader should note: (a) several reputable outlets converge around roughly 25–27 named women who publicly accused Trump of sexual misconduct [2] [3] [4]; (b) PBS’s narrower accounting of sexual assault allegations lists 16 women with assault claims, including at least one rape allegation [1]; and (c) other tallies that report higher totals expand the definition to include many additional, sometimes less-documented, claims [7]. If you need a definitive, source-by-source roster (names, dates, allegation types, legal outcomes), consult one of the mid‑list compilations such as Business Insider or the Guardian, which itemize individual accusers and the nature of their claims [3] [4].
Limitations: available sources present differing methodologies and cutoffs for inclusion; this summary reports those published counts and does not adjudicate the truth of individual claims beyond what the cited reporting says [1] [3] [2].