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A Predator in Action: The Many Sexual Assault Allegations Against America’s First President Deemed a “Rapist”

TheIntellectualist August 21, 2024
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Donald Trump sitting on the edge of a bed in a dimly lit room, looking contemplative with a serious expression.

The Access Hollywood Tape: A Confirmation of What Many Had Long Suspected

If American politics were theater, there are performances that captivate and those that unmask. The Access Hollywood tape wasn’t just a misstep in the choreography; it was the moment the facade crumbled, leaving denials no longer sufficient.

The footage was as startling as it was damning: a middle-aged Donald Trump, dressed in the crisp uniform of corporate America, caught on a hot mic making crude, boastful comments that felt less like banter and more like a confession. The nation watched, transfixed, as Trump—a man whose public persona had long been a blend of bombast and bravado—spoke with casual arrogance about groping women without their consent, a pattern of behavior that many had suspected but few had fully believed until now. The conversation, recorded in September 2005 during a bus ride to film an episode of Access Hollywood, was released by The Washington Post on October 7, 2016—just one month before the U.S. presidential election.

In the recording, Trump discussed his attempt to seduce a married woman and casually indicated that he might start kissing another woman they were about to meet. Most shockingly, he boasted, “I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything… Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.” This statement, widely interpreted as an admission of sexual assault, suggested a flagrant disregard for consent and an abuse of power that resonated deeply with the public.

The release of the tape caused widespread outrage, with media figures and politicians from across the political spectrum condemning Trump’s remarks. The incident brought issues of consent, power dynamics, and the treatment of women into sharp focus, becoming one of the most talked-about controversies of Trump’s 2016 campaign. Despite the backlash, Trump attempted to downplay the severity of his comments during the second presidential debate, dismissing them as “locker room talk” and expressing regret, though the damage was already done.

The Republican Party’s response was mixed. While some, like Vice Presidential nominee Mike Pence and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, expressed disapproval but continued to support Trump, others, such as John McCain, withdrew their endorsements entirely. House Speaker Paul Ryan took a middle road, announcing that he would no longer defend or support Trump’s campaign, though he stopped short of retracting his endorsement. The fallout also extended to those associated with Trump, most notably Billy Bush, who was fired from his position as a host on NBC’s Today show as a result of the controversy.

For a brief moment, Trump stood at the precipice of permanent ostracism. The nation’s collective gasp was not just at the vulgarity of his words but at the stark, unvarnished revelation of his true character. The carefully constructed image of Trump as a brash, unapologetic showman—a man who thrived on controversy—was overshadowed by something far more sinister. The recording stripped away the layers of his persona, exposing a man who casually boasted about behaviors that many viewed as predatory and abusive.

Yet, just as the shockwaves from this October surprise reverberated through the electorate, another one soon followed—one that would dramatically shift the spotlight away from Trump and onto his opponent. In a twist of fate that felt almost scripted, former FBI Director James Comey announced on October 28, 2016, just 11 days before the election, that the FBI was reopening its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. This announcement was based on the discovery of new emails, an event that immediately reignited public and media scrutiny of Clinton, overshadowing the growing outrage over Trump’s remarks on the Access Hollywood tape.

The timing of Comey’s announcement was impeccable for Trump. The renewed scrutiny of Clinton provided a crucial distraction from the scandal that had just threatened to derail his campaign. Analysts and commentators at the time suggested that this development allowed Trump to skate past what could have been a defining moment of accountability. Instead of the Access Hollywood tape marking a turning point, it became just another spectacle in a campaign season already rife with them, as the nation’s attention was abruptly redirected.

Trump had always been a master of spectacle, a figure who could turn even the most mundane moments into theater. His life, lived in the glaring light of public scrutiny, had been a series of carefully orchestrated performances, each one designed to distract, to deflect, to entertain. But the release of the tape in October 2016 was different. It was a moment when the performance faltered, when the artifice fell away, revealing something far more unsettling beneath. This wasn’t merely another chapter in the saga of a man who had built a career on controversy; it was a revelation that confirmed what many had already believed.

A History of Allegations: “A Predator in Action”

The Access Hollywood tape didn’t introduce the world to Donald Trump’s predatory behavior—it confirmed it. For decades, rumors had swirled around Trump, whispers of inappropriate advances, of women treated as little more than props in the grand drama of his life. At least 26 women have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against Trump, their stories spanning from the 1970s to his presidency. These women, often strangers to one another, spoke of a man who seemed to view boundaries as mere suggestions, his wealth and power as a shield against accountability.

The allegations were not confined to a single incident or even a single decade. Trump’s troubling behavior was documented across various contexts, from the glitzy parties of Miami to the high-stakes world of New York socialites.

Barbara Pilling was just 17 when she encountered Trump at a party in New York in the late 1980s. What should have been a fleeting, inconsequential meeting quickly soured when Trump, upon learning her age, remarked with a smirk, “Oh, great. So you’re not too old and not too young. That’s great.” Pilling, caught off guard, felt a chill—a sense that she was in the presence of someone who viewed her not as a person, but as an opportunity. Her story was not unique. It was one of many, a piece in the growing mosaic of allegations that painted a disturbing picture of a man who saw women as objects to be used and discarded.

In Miami in the 1990s, Heather Braden attended a party where Trump was one of a handful of men amid a sea of young models. She later described the atmosphere as thick with tension, an unspoken understanding that the women were there for the amusement of men like Trump. “I felt like a piece of meat,” Braden would recall—a sentiment echoed by others who had crossed paths with Trump in those years. An anonymous source, who attended similar gatherings, described a world where power and predation intertwined. These were parties fueled by excess—cocaine, alcohol, and the unchecked egos of older men who, as the source noted, “could easily be [the girls’] fathers.” Trump, notorious even then, would brag to his friends about his conquests, boasting with the same bravado that would later become his trademark. The source likened Trump’s behavior to that of “a predator in action,” a chilling description that now, in the light of the Access Hollywood tape, felt all too accurate.

The Epstein Connection

The controversy surrounding Trump’s behavior did not exist in a vacuum. His associations and connections further complicated his public image. Notably, Trump’s friendship with financier Jeffrey Epstein, a man who was a convicted sex offender and later charged with sex trafficking but died before standing trial, raised additional concerns about the company Trump kept and the environments in which he operated.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Trump and Epstein were part of the same social circles, often attending the same parties and events. Trump’s relationship with Epstein became particularly scrutinized after Epstein’s arrest in 2019. Although Trump attempted to distance himself, stating he hadn’t spoken to Epstein in 15 years and was “not a fan,” their past interactions continued to draw attention. Epstein’s former pilot testified during Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial that Trump had flown on Epstein’s private jet, further entangling him in the web of associations with Epstein’s criminal activities.

One of the more disturbing connections was an allegation from Virginia Giuffre, an Epstein accuser, who claimed she was recruited into Epstein’s trafficking operation while working at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. Although Giuffre did not accuse Trump of direct involvement, the connection added another layer of scrutiny to Trump’s past.

In a 2002 interview, Trump had described Epstein as a “terrific guy” who liked “beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.” This remark, when viewed in the context of the allegations against both men, painted a troubling picture of their shared attitudes toward women and power.

Trump’s Inappropriate Comments About His Daughter Ivanka

Among the many controversies surrounding Donald Trump, his repeated, seemingly inappropriate comments about his own daughter, Ivanka Trump, have raised eyebrows and sparked widespread discomfort. Over the years, Trump has made a series of remarks that many find deeply unsettling, blurring the lines of what is considered appropriate behavior between a father and daughter.

One of the most notorious examples occurred during a 2006 appearance on The View, where Trump was asked how he would feel if Ivanka posed for Playboy. In response, Trump remarked, “I don’t think Ivanka would do that, although she does have a very nice figure. I’ve said if Ivanka weren’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating her.” The comment was met with nervous laughter from the audience and visible discomfort from the show’s hosts. To many, the remark was not just inappropriate but disturbingly suggestive, leading to widespread criticism and a sense of unease.

This was not an isolated incident. On multiple occasions, Trump has commented on Ivanka’s appearance in ways that many have found uncomfortable. For example, in a 2004 interview with New York Magazine, Trump emphasized Ivanka’s beauty by stating, “Every guy in the country wants to go out with my daughter.” During a 2004 interview on The Howard Stern Show, Trump agreed with Stern when he referred to Ivanka as “a piece of ass.”

The pattern continued into his presidency, with former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly reportedly rebuking Trump for making sexual comments about Ivanka in front of White House staff, including remarks about her breasts and backside, as recounted by Miles Taylor in his book Blowback: A Warning to Save Democracy from the Next Trump. Kelly later described Trump as “a very, very evil man” for his remarks.

Adding to the controversy, Trump has even gone so far as to compare Ivanka to women from the adult entertainment industry. During an encounter with adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2006, Trump reportedly told her, “You remind me of my daughter—smart, blond, and beautiful.” This echoed a similar sentiment expressed by former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who revealed that Trump compared her to Ivanka during their alleged affair, saying, “He said I was beautiful like her and ‘you’re a smart girl.’”

These comments have been widely criticized as reflective of a broader pattern of objectifying women, even within his own family. For many, these statements add to the troubling picture of Trump as someone who consistently reduces women to their physical appearance, regardless of the context or relationship. The unease these remarks have generated is palpable, with many questioning not just the appropriateness of the comments but what they reveal about Trump’s attitudes toward women in general.

E. Jean Carroll: The Case That Made History

In the summer of 2019, E. Jean Carroll, a journalist with a reputation for wit and candor, added her voice to the chorus of accusations against Donald Trump. She accused him of raping her in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman in the mid-1990s—a claim chilling in its detail, describing a chance encounter that turned violent. Carroll testified that Trump forcibly kissed her, pulled down her tights, and raped her, an ordeal she escaped by pushing him off with her knee. Despite the emotional toll, Carroll remained silent for decades, her fear compounded by the potential repercussions of accusing a man as powerful as Trump. But when she finally spoke out, it was with the clarity and courage of someone who had nothing left to lose.

In May 2023, a Manhattan jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll, awarding her $5 million in damages. The jury, while stopping short of labeling the act as “rape” under New York’s narrow legal definition, nonetheless ruled that Trump had violated Carroll in a way that met the broader, commonly understood definition of rape. Judge Lewis A. Kaplan clarified that although the jury did not find Trump liable for rape under state law—reserved for forcible, unconsented penetration with a penis—the forced digital penetration they found Trump liable for fits the broader definition of rape recognized by the American Psychological Association and the U.S. Justice Department. This verdict was significant not just for Carroll but for the countless women whose allegations had been dismissed or ignored in the past.

Trump’s defiance, however, did not end with the verdict. After he continued to publicly defame Carroll, a federal jury in January 2024 awarded her an additional $83.3 million in damages. This judgment underscored the ongoing harm caused by Trump’s actions and words, further eroding his public image. His attempts to dismiss the case as a political “witch hunt” became increasingly unconvincing, as the weight of evidence against him continued to mount.

During the trial, the infamous 2005 Access Hollywood tape, where Trump was heard bragging about grabbing women, was presented to the jury, further corroborating the pattern of behavior Carroll described. The trial also revisited previous accusations from other women, including Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff, who testified that Trump had groped or assaulted them. Despite attempts by Trump’s legal team to discredit Carroll by questioning her credibility and pointing to the lack of physical evidence, the jury’s findings painted a clear picture of Trump’s predatory behavior.

A Reckoning Finally Arrives

In 2016, the world witnessed a shocking moment when Donald Trump, in the Access Hollywood tape, openly admitted to actions many found reprehensible. His crude, unfiltered words, broadcast across the nation, revealed a man seemingly boasting of sexual assault without a shred of remorse. Yet, in a surreal twist of collective denial, many chose to ignore what they had clearly heard. The political machinery pressed on, drowning out the voices of outrage, and Trump continued his march toward the presidency.

Trump’s survival was not due to innocence or exoneration, but rather a society willing to contort itself into disbelief. A man who had casually admitted to violations was allowed to ascend to the highest office in the land, as his words faded into the background noise of a chaotic election season.

But time, as it often does, eventually demanded accountability. In 2023, the truth dismissed in 2016 was finally confronted in a court of law. Trump was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation in the case of E. Jean Carroll—a legal judgment that served as a stark vindication for those who had long spoken out. In the end, it was Trump’s own words, spoken with such casual bravado, that made him an adjudicated rapist, forming the very foundation of his downfall. This moment forces us to reflect, not just on the man himself, but on the culture that allowed him to thrive, despite everything.

Works Cited

Categories: Crime, Demagoguery, Democracy, Elections, History, Law, Media, News, Politics, Women's empowerment
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