Who are the accusers who have alleged sexual assault by Donald Trump and what did their statements allege?
Executive summary
A range of women over four decades have publicly accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct that spans unwanted kissing, groping, attempted rape and rape; estimates in reporting range from about two dozen to as many as nearly 70 accusers depending on the inclusion criteria [1] [2]. The most legally consequential claim was made by writer E. Jean Carroll, whose 2019 allegation that Trump sexually assaulted her in the mid‑1990s resulted in a civil jury finding him liable for sexual abuse and defamation in 2023; Trump has denied all allegations and is appealing that verdict [3] [4] [5].
1. The plaintiff whose case reached a jury: E. Jean Carroll
E. Jean Carroll, an advice columnist, wrote in 2019 that Trump forcibly assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid‑1990s; a New York jury in 2023 found Trump civilly liable for sexually abusing her and for defamation over his public denials, awarding damages that are under appeal [3] [4] [5].
2. Early and high‑profile accusers: Ivana Trump and Jane Doe reports
Ivana Trump, in a 1989 divorce deposition and later interviews cited in reporting, at one point described an episode she and friends characterized as a violent sexual assault during the marriage, though her public statements have varied over time [1]. Reporting and court documents also reference a confidential “Jane Doe” who alleged rape when she was a minor in files related to Jeffrey Epstein; that case was withdrawn before proceeding publicly [3] [6].
3. Accusers from the 2000s and 2010s tied to Trump’s public life
Several women who crossed paths with Trump during his business and media career went public: Summer Zervos, a former Apprentice contestant, said Trump forcibly kissed and groped her on two occasions in 2007; Jessica Drake, an adult‑film actress, said he kissed her and other women without consent and offered money to come to his hotel room around 2006; Natasha Stoynoff, a People reporter, said he assaulted her at Mar‑a‑Lago in 2005 [7] [8] [9] [10]. Other women, including Jill Harth (who sued alleging attempted rape and harassment) and Karena Virginia (who accused groping), have also publicly accused him [2] [9].
4. Additional allegations that illustrate a pattern claim
Mainstream outlets compiled lists showing dozens of allegations ranging from unwanted touching and aggressive kissing to more serious rape accusations; some outlets count roughly 25–27 named women while others have documented up to 69 individuals who have accused Trump of some form of sexual misconduct when broader definitions are used [9] [11] [2]. Individual accounts often describe sudden, non‑consensual contact in public settings, private residences, or professional environments, and several accusers said incidents involved other well‑known figures such as Jeffrey Epstein [12] [9].
5. Defenses, denials and political context
Trump and his campaign uniformly deny the accusations, frequently calling them fabricated, politically motivated, or part of a media smear; campaign statements and spokespeople have characterized the timing and publicity as driven by politics [1] [11] [8]. Reporters and some commentators have noted the political stakes of high‑profile disclosures, and Trump has repeatedly attacked accusers’ credibility in public remarks [1] [13].
6. Legal outcomes, evidentiary limits and reporting gaps
Aside from the Carroll civil verdict, most allegations have not resulted in criminal charges against Trump; some claims predate statutes of limitation, others were not pursued or were settled, and some accusers withdrew lawsuits or remained anonymous in public records [3] [6]. Reporting documents the allegations and Trump’s denials, but source material in the public record varies by claim—some are contemporaneous accounts corroborated by witnesses or documents, others are reported years later—so the evidentiary record as presented in media compilations is heterogeneous and in many cases limited [10] [9].
7. What the record shows and what remains unresolved
The collected reporting and timelines make clear that numerous women have accused Trump of a range of sexual misconduct over decades and that his legal exposure has included at least one civil judgment finding sexual abuse; at the same time, many allegations remain untested in criminal courts and Trump continues to challenge the veracity and motives of his accusers, leaving a mix of adjudicated findings, unresolved claims and political rhetoric in the public record [3] [5] [11].