Trump has partly defended himself from a wave of allegations of sexual assault and harassment by arguing that he does not know the victims. Melania Trump’s lawsuit against a People magazine reporter who accused Trump of groping her exists for this reason—the entire lawsuit is about the reporter’s claim that she and Melania were “friendly,” which Melania denies. In addition to saying they weren’t attractive enough for him to assault and harass, this tactic allows Trump to implicitly argue that these women are lying without actually accusing them of lying.
But on Friday, a woman that Trump absolutely knows accused him of sexual harassment. Appearing with lawyer Gloria Allred, Zervos accused Trump of repeatedly sexually harassing her after the show ended. She met with Trump after being told that he wanted to discuss possible job opportunities. Instead, he allegedly “thrust” his “genitals” on her, groped her, and forcibly kissed her with an “open mouth,” despite the fact that she repeatedly told him that his advances were unwanted and attempted to push him away. You can watch Zervos’s full statement below.
