A People Magazine writer says Donald Trump physically attacked her around the time of his infamous 2005 comments to Billy Bush, and that he forced himself on her in the same way he described in that conversation.
Trump denied the allegations, as well as allegations from two other women who told The New York Times that he groped them.
Natasha Stoynoff says she went to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida to interview Donald and the then-pregnant Melania Trump in December 2005 about their first wedding anniversary.
Stoynoff said Donald Trump told her that he wanted her to see a special room in the house.
“We walked into that room alone, and Trump shut the door behind us. I turned around, and within seconds, he was pushing me against the wall, and forcing his tongue down my throat,” Stoynoff recalled. “Now, I’m a tall, strapping girl who grew up wrestling two giant brothers. I even once sparred with Mike Tyson. It takes a lot to push me.
“But Trump is much bigger — a looming figure — and he was fast, taking me by surprise, and throwing me off balance. I was stunned. And I was grateful when Trump’s longtime butler burst into the room a minute later, as I tried to unpin myself,” she continued.
“This never happened. There is no merit or veracity to this fabricated story,” a Trump spokesman told People.
While recorded on a hot mic, Donald Trump told Bush: “You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the p—-.”
Trump said during the second presidential debate, on Sunday, that he doesn’t actually do the things he boasted about to Bush.
Stoynoff said Trump’s behavior continued after the attack.
“I tried to act normal. I had a job to do, and I was determined to do it. I sat in a chair that faced Trump, who waited for his wife on a loveseat. The butler left us, and I fumbled with my tape recorder,” she wrote.
“Trump smiled and leaned forward. ‘You know we’re going to have an affair, don’t you?’ he declared, in the same confident tone he uses when he says he’s going to make America great again. ‘Have you ever been to Peter Luger’s for steaks? I’ll take you. We’re going to have an affair, I’m telling you.’”
She added: “Except for a few close friends and family, I didn’t talk about the incident. In time, I chalked it up to one of the hazards of a rollercoaster ride of celebrity journalism: I’d danced barefoot in Cannes with John Travolta, sang with Paul McCartney, talked about Bogie with Bacall, quoted Shakespeare with Brando, and Prince Andrew yelled at me until I cried. Oh, and Donald Trump forced himself on me. I tried to make myself believe it was no big deal.”
She continued: “Only, it was. Now he’s running for president of our country. The other day, I listened to him talk about how he treats women on the “Access Hollywood” tape. I felt a strong mix of emotions, but shock wasn’t one of them.
“Just for the record, Mr. Trump, I did not consent,” she stressed.
Read Stoynoff’s full account here.