Fact check: How many women have publicly accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct?

1. Summary of the results

The exact number of women who have publicly accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct varies across sources, ranging from 16 to 26. The most comprehensive analyses indicate that at least 25 women have made public accusations since the 1970s ^[1]. These allegations include various forms of misconduct, from unwanted touching and kissing to more serious accusations of sexual assault and rape ^[1].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements are missing from the original question:

• The allegations span a significant time period, from the 1970s to 2013 ^[2]
• The accusations became particularly prominent during the 2016 presidential campaign, coinciding with the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape ^[3]
• A detailed investigation published in "All the President's Women" documented 26 incidents of "unwanted sexual contact" and 43 instances of inappropriate behavior ^[4]
• The accusers come from diverse backgrounds, including:
• Beauty pageant contestants
• Models
• Political aides
• Other professionals ^[2]

All but two accusations emerged before or during Trump's first presidential campaign ^[5]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The simple numerical question overlooks several critical aspects:

• Consistency of denials: Trump and his team have consistently denied all allegations ^[6], making it important to note that these are accusations rather than proven cases
• Timing of accusations: The clustering of accusations around the 2016 campaign period ^[3] has been used by both supporters and critics to make different arguments about credibility
• Documentation variations: Different sources track these accusations differently, which explains the varying numbers (16-26 range) across different analyses
• Political context: The timing and publicity of these accusations have been influenced by political events, particularly Trump's presidential campaigns

Each source provides slightly different numbers, which could reflect:

• Different criteria for what constitutes a "public" accusation
• Different time periods being considered
• Different standards for verifying accusations
• Different definitions of what constitutes sexual misconduct