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Which women publicly accused President Trump of affairs during his presidency?
Executive summary
Multiple news outlets and aggregations report that roughly two dozen women publicly accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct over several decades, with many of those allegations becoming public after the 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape and during his 2016 campaign [1] [2]. Sources list named accusers including E. Jean Carroll, Jessica Leeds, Summer Zervos, Jill Harth, Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal among others, and summarize differing types of allegations (assault, groping, non‑consensual kissing, and claims of affairs) [2] [3] [4].
1. A long list, but no single, universally agreed count
Reporting organizations compiled different totals—“about two dozen,” “at least 26,” and lists of 16–18 in earlier recaps—reflecting ongoing revelations and how outlets count different types of claims [1] [2] [3]. PBS counted 16 at one point; Business Insider and other outlets later reported higher totals as more women spoke publicly [5] [2] [3]. The variance stems from additions over time and differing inclusion criteria, such as whether to count pageant contestants who said he entered dressing rooms [5] [6].
2. Who publicly accused him of “affairs” specifically — named high‑profile claims
Several women became widely associated with allegations of extra‑marital relationships or affairs: Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal publicly alleged affairs or intimate encounters that led to legal and media attention, including nondisclosure settlements and reporting about hush‑money payments [7] [8]. Time, Business Insider and other outlets emphasize these names among the broader list of accusers [4] [2]. Available sources do not provide a definitive, single list limited only to “affair” claims separate from broader sexual‑misconduct allegations; most outlets group affairs alongside assault and harassment allegations [7] [2].
3. Several accusers alleged sexual assault or harassment, not just affairs
Many women named in mainstream lists described non‑consensual touching, groping, forced kissing, or rape. Examples cited across reporting include E. Jean Carroll (rape allegation), Jessica Leeds (groping on a flight), Summer Zervos (assault claim and subsequent defamation suit), and Jill Harth (attempted rape in the 1990s), among others [3] [2] [1]. PBS and The Guardian compiled timelines and summaries emphasizing the range of allegations and repeated denials from Trump and his team [5] [6].
4. Timing matters: many went public during or after 2015–2016
Multiple accounts note that a wave of women came forward after Trump announced his presidential run and especially following the 2016 release of the Access Hollywood tape; some accusers have said Trump’s denials prompted them to speak publicly [9] [1]. Reporting distinguishes earlier public claims (e.g., Ivana Trump and Jill Harth before his campaign) from the larger set that emerged during the 2016 campaign [9] [1].
5. Legal actions and outcomes varied widely
Some accusers filed lawsuits; outcomes include settlements, dismissed or withdrawn suits, and, in one high‑profile civil case, a jury finding Trump liable to E. Jean Carroll in 2023 [2] [8]. Summer Zervos filed a defamation suit after Trump called her a liar; she later withdrew that defamation case in 2021 [9]. Reporting underscores a patchwork of legal responses rather than a single legal consensus [9] [2].
6. Pageant‑related allegations and minors: contested and partially unnamed claims
Several former Miss USA/Miss Teen USA contestants and others alleged Trump entered dressing rooms while contestants were undressing; some of those allegations involved named and unnamed women and cover incidents from the 1990s and early 2000s [4] [6] [5]. The Guardian and PBS note multiple anonymous confirmations and reluctant witnesses, which complicates definitive public attribution [6] [5].
7. Media aggregation vs. primary interviews — weigh the sources
Time, Business Insider, PBS, The Guardian, and other outlets compiled lists drawing on interviews, court filings and contemporaneous reporting; each outlet’s list and framing differ according to editorial judgment about who to include and how to describe allegations [4] [2] [5] [6]. Readers should note that some compilations include unnamed corroborators or anonymous confirmations and that counts changed as new claims surfaced [3] [1].
8. What reporting does not settle here
Available sources do not provide a single canonical checklist that isolates only those women who alleged an “affair” (as distinct from assault or harassment) during Trump’s presidency; rather, outlets present overlapping lists of women who accused Trump of sexual misconduct of various kinds across decades [7] [2] [4]. If you want a precise, named roster focused narrowly on “public claims of affairs during his presidency,” that narrower question is not fully enumerated in the provided reporting [7] [2].
If you’d like, I can extract and cross‑tabulate the named women from these sources (Stormy Daniels, Karen McDougal, E. Jean Carroll, Jessica Leeds, Summer Zervos, Jill Harth, among others) into a single list with short descriptions and citations.