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Fact check: How many allegations of misconduct have been made against Donald Trump?
Executive Summary
Attributing a single definitive number to the allegations of misconduct against Donald Trump is impossible because reputable counts vary: mainstream compilations cite at least 18 to 28 women who have publicly accused him of sexual harassment or assault, while some reporting and books expand that tally to dozens more, suggesting totals well above 40 when broader claims are included [1] [2] [3]. Separately, Trump has faced multiple criminal indictments and charges in unrelated matters — commonly summarized as four indictments in recent reporting and a reported tally of 88 criminal counts across cases in some legal tracking — but those figures refer to formal charges, not the civil and public allegations about sexual misconduct [4] [5].
1. Why counts differ: competing tallies and what they include
Media and researchers use different criteria when counting allegations, producing divergent totals: some lists count only women who publicly identified themselves and described incidents, yielding figures around 18 to roughly two dozen accusers, while others include additional unnamed reports, press accounts, or claims compiled in books that push the number into the high twenties or beyond [1] [3] [2]. The smaller tallies emphasize verifiable, named accounts and sometimes note how many pursued legal action; the larger compilations aggregate contemporaneous reports, anonymous or less-documented claims, and later-revealed stories. Definitions matter: counting only public complaints yields one number, while including all reported allegations over decades raises the total substantially, and both approaches are used in reputable outlets.
2. The most-cited figures: where 18, 24, and 28 come from
Multiple outlets offer anchor figures frequently cited in public discussion: ABC News and similar summaries list at least 18 women alleging sexual harassment or assault, noting specific named accusers and recent additions to that list [1]. Investigative pieces and longer histories, such as those by The 19th, describe about two dozen (roughly 24) women who have come forward with allegations spanning the 1970s through the 2010s [3]. Wikipedia summaries and some investigative books compile at least 28 named accusers, and reference works that identify additional claims, implying totals beyond the high twenties [2]. The public record therefore supports a baseline range: 18 on the conservative side, about two dozen in mainstream reporting, and at least 28 in broader compilations.
3. Why some sources report far higher totals
Some books and investigative projects go beyond named, contemporaneous complaints to include additional allegations uncovered in archival reporting or by anonymous sources; one 2024 book referenced in summaries reportedly lists 43 additional claims beyond a baseline compilation, which, if aggregated, would push totals well over 70, though such expanded lists often mix varying levels of corroboration and documentation [2]. Other reporting distinguishes criminal indictments and formal charges from public allegations of sexual misconduct: for example, legal trackers note four indictments brought against Trump in separate matters, and an advocacy tally lists 88 criminal counts across those cases, but these figures pertain to prosecutorial actions, not the civil or public sexual-misconduct accusations that dominate the “how many allegations” question [4] [5]. Aggregation methodology drives headline counts.
4. Legal action vs. public accusation: what was pursued in court
A minority of accusers have pursued formal legal action; reporting highlights that only a few of the women who alleged misconduct filed lawsuits, such as E. Jean Carroll’s civil lawsuit, while many others spoke publicly without initiating litigation [1]. Legal outcomes and prosecutions are separate matters: the number of criminal indictments against Trump — summarized as four indictments in recent public reporting — reflects prosecutors’ decisions in entirely different domains (election interference, records handling, etc.), not criminal charges tied to the array of sexual misconduct allegations compiled by journalists and researchers [4]. Legal counts and public-accuser counts answer different factual questions and should not be conflated.
5. Bottom line and what’s left unresolved
The verified public record supports stating that at least 18 women have accused Donald Trump of sexual harassment or assault, with mainstream reporting often citing about two dozen and broader compilations documenting 28 or more named accusers, while some investigative books claim additional, less-documented reports that expand the list substantially [1] [3] [2]. Simultaneously, reporting on criminal charges summarizes multiple indictments and hundreds of alleged criminal counts across cases in legal trackers, but those figures are distinct from the sexual-misconduct tallies and reflect prosecutorial activity in separate matters [4] [5]. Any single-number answer requires specifying the counting rules — whether one refers to named public accusers, documented claims in aggregate, or legal indictments — because the totals change materially depending on that choice.