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Who are the women who have publicly accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct and what are their allegations?
Executive summary
At least two dozen women have publicly accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct over decades, with reported allegations ranging from groping and unwanted kissing to rape; outlets such as Axios and The Guardian note roughly 26–27 accusers and specific high-profile cases like E. Jean Carroll’s, where a jury found Trump civilly liable for sexual abuse and defamation and ordered $5 million in damages [1] [2] [3]. Reporting and timelines compiled by The Guardian, PBS, The 19th and others catalogue many individual claims but also record Trump’s consistent denials and legal defenses [4] [5] [6].
1. The headline cases that defined public attention
E. Jean Carroll’s allegation — that Trump sexually assaulted her in a department-store dressing room in the mid-1990s — moved through civil litigation to a May 2023 jury verdict holding Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarding $5 million; that verdict and subsequent appeals are documented in court coverage and summaries [3] [2]. Carroll’s case has become the clearest example where a civil jury found Trump liable on a sexual-abuse claim, even as criminal charges have not been filed in that matter [3] [2].
2. The larger tally: dozens of women, many types of allegations
News outlets and investigative projects count roughly 25–27 women who have accused Trump publicly, detailing incidents from the 1970s through the 2000s that include unwanted kissing, groping and alleged rape; The Guardian, Axios and The Independent present timelines and lists that place the number of accusers in that mid-20s range [4] [1] [7]. These compilations aggregate first-person interviews, contemporaneous reporting and book-based reporting such as All the President’s Women [7] [6].
3. Examples across the spectrum of allegations
Reporting highlights several named accusers and claims: Jill Harth alleged groping and an attempted forced advance in the early 1990s and pursued legal action in the late 1990s (reported in PBS and other outlets); Jessica Leeds and Samantha Holvey publicly described unwanted groping and kissing during airline or modeling-related encounters; other women have described incidents at social events, parties, and sporting events, including accounts saying Trump groped or forcibly kissed them [8] [4] [6]. Some accounts link the alleged incidents to social circles that included Jeffrey Epstein, a detail that has reappeared in later reporting about Epstein documents [9] [10].
4. Legal outcomes versus allegations in the press
Most of the public allegations have not produced criminal convictions; exceptions and legal developments are limited. The E. Jean Carroll civil verdict is the most prominent legal finding of liability for sexual abuse and defamation; many other accusations were reported, denied by Trump, and in some cases led to civil filings that were later dropped or settled [3] [11] [8]. Journalistic compilations emphasize that allegations vary in evidentiary record and legal consequence [6] [4].
5. Trump’s response and the partisan frame
Throughout reporting, Trump has consistently denied allegations, called them politically motivated, and at times attacked accusers’ credibility — a pattern noted in The Guardian and PBS coverage [4] [5]. Media accounts show this issue became highly politicized during his presidential campaigns and terms, with White House spokespeople and Trump himself framing many accusations as false or partisan [9] [8].
6. Sources, patterns and journalistic limits
Investigations like those by The 19th, The Guardian and aggregated timelines collect many first-person accounts and contemporaneous sources to identify patterns of alleged behavior [6] [4]. However, reporters and outlets also note limits: individual claims differ in corroboration, some suits were dismissed or withdrawn, and civil liability is not the same as criminal conviction — nuances emphasized in PBS and other reporting [3] [11].
7. Why this still matters: precedent, records and public scrutiny
Journalists and commentators underscore the public-interest dimension: aggregated allegations and a jury finding of civil liability raise questions about conduct and accountability for a public figure who has held and seeks high office [12] [3]. At the same time, reporting shows competing narratives — accusers’ accounts versus Trump’s denials — meaning the record remains contested and continues to evolve as appeals and additional document releases appear [2] [10].
Limitations: available sources list many accusers and describe representative allegations, but a single-source roster of every woman and every allegation is not provided here; for comprehensive names and full allegation texts, consult the timelines and compilations cited above [4] [6] [1].