Rachel Crooks was 22 years old and working as a receptionist within Trump Tower when the now-President allegedly kissed her on the mouth without consent.
“I had just moved to New York, and I was working as a secretary for another company in the building. That’s where [Donald Trump] forced himself on me,” Crooks, now 35, has recounted the incident countless times, The Washington Post reports.
Now, President Donald Trump has responded.
Trump, 71, said on Twitter that the incident never happened (he denies all of the sexual harassment allegations publicly levelled at him from 19 different women).
His reasoning is that: Firstly, he doesn’t remember meeting Crooks. Also, he never would have kissed her forcefully in a public space with security cameras around.
Nowhere does the President deny the allegations by reasoning that such an act would be wrong or out of character or in bad taste. He fails to realise: Being in a public space with cameras are not the reasons why you shouldn’t assault a woman sexually.
He’s also lying when he says a public setting would prevent him from acting in such a manner.
Think back to the “grab them by the pussy” tape from 2005 – just a year before the alleged incident with Crooks.
Trump can be heard on the Access Hollywood tape saying: “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.”
And that’s exactly what Crooks alleges happened.
LISTEN: A porn star could have ruined Trump’s presidential hopes. Post continues below.
Crooks’ story has never faltered since she first emailed The New York Times at the beginning of Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016.
She says she walked over and introduced herself as the businessman-come-politician waited for an elevator in Trump tower in 2006. She alleges Trump shook her hand and started kissing her on both cheeks over and over again.
“He started kissing me on one cheek, then the other cheek,” she told The Washington Post. “He was talking to me in between kisses, asking where I was from, or if I wanted to be a model. He wouldn’t let go of my hand, and then he went right in and started kissing me on the lips.”
Crooks has since asked for the CCTV footage to be released, and is calling for a full investigation into the sexual misconduct allegations against the President Trump.
Top Comments
Trump doesn't see women as people. If he is sexually attracted to them, he sees them as an object to use for his own pleasure and if he isn't, he ridicules them based on their appearance or something equally as shallow. Women only have worth to him if they are what he deems to be attractive and if he deems a woman worthy, that's enough 'consent' for him.
What absolute baloney!!!
Trump has a very good record for employing women and promoting them to high positions of power in his companies.
It really is extraordinary the vitriol that is directed at Trump in comparison with say the Clintons and their track record on the treatment of women who expose sexual harassment.
It's quite embarrassing for people such as yourselves to show such blatant hypocrisy but do carry on.......can't be letting facts get in the way of a good dig at Trump.
It’s not baloney - it’s absolutely spot on. Look at how he interacts with them.
He's also got a record of saying he grabs them on the genitals, but hey, why not cherry pick while complaining about cherry picking?
The Clintons, the Clintons, THE CLINTONS!!!! For goodness sake, try having some self-respect. The desperate need to go 'but Hillary', 'but, but, Bill', 'but the Clintons....'. Seriously you should have more self-respect than that and more faith in your abilities to prosecute an argument WITHOUT having to reach back 2 or so decades. We are told that the far-right such as Trump are supposed to be BETTER than the Clintons, supposed to have morals. But don't let the facts get in the way of a good desperate whataboutery. Such blatant hypocrisy and desperation is embarrassing.