Stacey Williams this week claimed that former President Donald Trump groped her at Trump Tower in early 1993 as disgraced hedge fund manager Jeffrey Epstein watched. The former model made the claim during a video chat with sexual assault survivors supporting Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign.
Williams’ accusations have left E. Jean Carroll locked in a legal battle with the businessman-turned-president after a jury found him responsible for sexual assault in 2023. It’s the latest in a long list of accusations against Trump, including: After 1996, she advised a columnist for defaming her. The allegations against Trump go back decades, including those described in the 2005 “Access Hollywood” video tape released weeks before Election Day in 2016. The videos showed Trump, then a reality TV star, bragging about grabbing women, forcibly kissing them, and sexually assaulting them.
Williams said in a video call that she met Epstein in 1992 and they began dating. Epstein died by suicide in New York in 2019 while awaiting trial on a series of sex trafficking charges, sparking conspiracy theories.
The former model said the two were walking down Fifth Avenue in “late winter, early spring” in 1993 when Epstein suggested they “stop by and meet Trump.”
“So we went into Trump Tower, went up the elevator, and right away, as Trump was greeting us, he pulled me into him and started groping me,” Williams said. recalled. “He put his hands on my chest, hips and butt. And I froze. And his hands were moving all over my body, so I was very confused as to what was going on.” I was frozen because I was.”
President Trump’s spokeswoman, Caroline Leavitt, called the allegations “patently false” and said they were politically motivated.
Williams said Epstein and Trump “appeared to be smiling at each other and carrying on a conversation.” Mr. Trump was in his mid-40s and Mr. Williams was in his mid-20s at the time of the incident.
Williams said when they left, Epstein became “seemingly angry” and as soon as they reached the sidewalk, Epstein began “beating” her.
“He kept saying, ‘Why did you let him do that?’ Why did you let him put his hands all over you? And he made me feel so bad.” “I was so humiliated, so sick to my stomach, so upset,” she recalled, adding later.
But as Williams “soaked up what happened,” she said she felt like there was “some kind of sick bet and game” between Trump and Epstein, and that there was “some kind of challenge and perversity.” It just rolled in there like a piece of meat.” game. “
Williams added that she received a postcard from President Trump “right after” the Trump Tower meeting. A representative for Ms. Williams said she received the postcard from Mr. Trump by courier.
Williams’ team provided an image of the postcard to The Associated Press. One side has photos of Palm Beach and the former president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, while the other side has a note purportedly from Trump. “Stacey, your second home. We love you, Donald,” the postcard reads.
Organizers of the Survivors for Harris video call said this week’s rally was not affiliated with the Harris campaign and was an external gathering of sexual assault survivors and advocacy groups. Harris’ campaign declined to comment on the allegations Friday. Members of Mr. Williams’ team said he has not had any contact with the Harris campaign.
In an interview with CNN after the video call, Williams called his encounter with Trump “one of the strangest moments of my life.”
“I was probably trying to smile and make the gestures of engagement that I would do in a social situation, but it was like an out-of-body experience,” she said. “So I don’t know if I spoke, I don’t know if I answered any questions, I don’t know.”
Mr. Trump has sought to distance himself from Mr. Epstein in recent years, telling New York Magazine in 2002, “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years.”
“He’s a great guy,” Trump told the magazine. “He’s a lot of fun to be around. He’s also said to like beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are younger, that’s for sure. Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”
Trump has faced allegations of sexual misconduct and assault over the years, all of which he denies. Many of these allegations arose after the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape in 2016. Although the moment was perilous for the Trump campaign, Trump went on to win the 2016 election, and the allegations against him have not slowed his political rise.
Williams told CNN he decided not to come forward early out of consideration for his family.
“You’re supposed to be really, really ready, and I wasn’t,” Williams told the network. “I think there will be an evolution in combating abuse and these types of incidents, but it’s not going to happen overnight.”