Defend and deny: What we know about Trump and accusations of sexual misconduct

Mariel Padilla Originally published by The 19th

A month before the 2016 presidential election, a leaked tape revealed Donald Trump bragging about grabbing women’s genitals, captured on a hot mic during a 2005 “Access Hollywood” taping. In the immediate aftermath, many condemned his words. That included many Republican politicians who voiced their disapproval and disgust — but quickly returned to backing him. Then, as we know, he won the election.

That year, multiple women spoke out against Trump’s history of sexual misconduct. He responded by calling them “horrible, horrible liars,” denying any and all wrongdoing and insisting that there was a larger plot being orchestrated by Hillary Clinton, his political opponent at the time, and the news media.

Trump often denied the legitimacy of such claims against those in his orbit as well. In 2018, in response to sexual assault allegations against people in his own administration, Trump tweeted: “Peoples lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation. Some are true and some are false. Some are old and some are new. There is no recovery for someone falsely accused - life and career are gone. Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?”

As he runs for president again — and leads in every GOP primary poll — The 19th is pulling together allegations of sexual assault and harassment against him and people who worked for or with him in his campaigns or in his time in the White House. Some resigned only to be later welcomed back into the fold; some have stayed connected to Trump.

Here is what we have found: