Content warning: This article discusses sexual assault and abuse in detail.
E. Jean Carroll, a former advice columnist for Elle magazine, made her first public claim against former President Donald Trump for sexual abuse back in 2019, which allegedly occurred shortly after the two met in 1996. After the court found Trump guilty of sexual abuse and defamation in 2023, Carroll was awarded $5 million in damages, according to CNN.
In 2022, Carroll opened another case against Trump with an additional claim requesting damages for the sexual assault made possible by the Adult Survivors Act (ASA), according to FindLaw. CNN reports that a verdict was made for this case in January 2024, resulting in a court order requiring Trump to pay Carroll an additional $83.3 million.Â
On Oct. 3, Brave New Films released a short documentary on YouTube titled “E. Jean Carroll v. Donald J. Trump.” The documentary went into further detail on Carroll’s story, with actress Kathryn Hahn narrating Carroll’s testimony in the video. Carroll described Trump assaulting her in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in New York City.
[The wording from the testimony was omitted from this article as it may be disturbing to some readers. It can be found in the video above.]
Carroll described how her reputation was shattered and how she felt that she would never be able to experience a romantic life again. Though this instance occurred decades ago, Carroll is only now seeing justice.Â
This verdict is inspiring not only for victims of sexual misconduct across the world but more specifically for women who never saw justice after reporting that Trump sexually abused them. According to USA Today, 19 women have spoken out about their sexual misconduct stories with Trump. Carroll’s verdict empowers and supports the words of these other victims.
These sexual assault allegations, which span several decades, raise significant concerns about both his character and fitness for leadership.
According to ABC News, Summer Zervos, a fifth-season competitor on The Apprentice, accused Trump of groping and kissing her twice during a meeting at Trump Tower in New York. At the time, Zervos did not report the incident, as she was presumably nervous to report a person of such a high level of authority.Â
“He grabbed my shoulder and began kissing me again aggressively and placed his hand on my breast,” Zervos said at a news conference in 2016.
Now that Zervos has gained the confidence to speak out, it is our responsibility to listen and validate her experience. By doing so, we can create an environment where more victims feel safe reporting abuse, working towards justice, and receiving the help they need.
Another instance of a woman describing her abusive encounter with Trump is in former model Amy Dorris’ exclusive interview with The Guardian. In the interview, she provides details of the way Trump violated her outside the bathroom in his VIP box in the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament in September 1997.
“He just shoved his tongue down my throat, and I was pushing him off,” Dorris told The Guardian. “And then that’s when his grip became tighter, and his hands were very gropey and all over my butt, my breasts, my back, everything.”
With the election coming up on Tuesday, Nov. 5, it is essential to be well-informed on the presidential candidates and their backgrounds. The fact that a convicted felon can run for president, especially with this amount of support, is beyond comprehension for many voters. The sheer number of accusations, in addition to the recent legal battle with Carroll, calls into question his ability to represent the United States.
To those who think these allegations are not reflections of the truth, you should note the remarks Trump has made about women. These remarks serve as evidence of Trump’s deep disregard for women and personal boundaries.Â
Journalist Bob Woodward’s book Fear: Trump in the White House reveals the chaotic life inside the White House during Trump’s presidency. In this book, a friend of Trump’s, who is unnamed in the reading, recognizes Trump’s wrong behavior towards women.
According to Woodward, Trump provided the friend with some disgusting advice, saying, “You’ve got to deny, deny, deny, and push back on these women. If you admit to anything and any culpability, then you’re dead. You’ve got to be strong. You’ve got to be aggressive. You’ve got to push back hard. You’ve got to deny anything that’s said about you. Never admit.”
Another instance of Trump’s neglectful behavior towards women is shown during one of his rally speeches earlier this month. Trump spoke tastelessly about The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg after her interview with Vice President Kamala Harris.
 “She was so filthy, dirty, disgusting. She was so dirty. Every word was filthy, dirty. What a loser she is,” he said.
There’s a plethora of more statements you could read into on The Week. If you read all 87 statements and are still not convinced that Trump is a sexist predator, then I don’t know what else I can say. We women need to stick together and support each other. A great way we can do that right now is by voting against this monster.
“Women who are r*ped are looked at as soiled goods. People say, oh, you’re so brave; you’re so brave,” Hahn said. “But really they are thinking, I don’t know, she should have been smarter. Or, I don’t know, she should have screamed. Or, maybe that dress she was wearing. Maybe she flirted too much.”
Kathryn Hahn, playing E. Jean Carroll, reads in YouTube documentary “E. Jean Carroll V. Donald J. Trump.”
People say voting for Trump is not personal; they claim it’s just politics. However, they are wrong. It is personal. For women who have endured any sort of sexual violence, it feels betraying to vote for someone who has committed similar misconduct. Voting for someone who has done something so atrocious feels like normalizing his extremely inappropriate behavior.
That said, Carroll’s victory in her lawsuit is a victory for women everywhere. Now, it is time for Trump to be held accountable for the several other women he assaulted. The words from the 19 other women should not go unnoticed.