A lawyer has claimed that Donald Trump touched her breast in May 2006, two months after his wife Melania gave birth to their son Baron. The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said the alleged incident occurred when she and three friends arrived at Santa Monica Beach hotel. Trump ostensibly approached the woman when they were informed by a valet that the hotel's bar was closed for a private event. The lawyer claims the real estate mogul then placed his hand "on the top part of her breast".
"And so I am immediately uncomfortable and he is like, 'Hey, you want to get into the bar? I can get you in. Just you. Not your friends'. And at this point, he is just rubbing my breast. The top of the breast, the nipple. I had this whole-body visceral reaction. I was like, I have to get out of here right now. I didn’t say a word. I turned around. I still had my keys. I got in the car and I was like, 'Get in, everyone. We’re going'", the lawyer said.
The woman said that her friends didn’t see the alleged incident because they were facing the hotel.
Her claim comes two months before the presidential elections in the United States. The lawyer did not say why she decided to come forward now. She revealed that she had thought about speaking out in 2016, when Trump ran for president and several women accused him of sexual harassment and rape.
"I thought about it a bunch. But in the scheme of things, it wasn’t a rape. It was a forcible touch. I wondered 'Is it worth associating my name with? Forever", the lawyer said.
The woman said she feels uncomfortable revealing her identity, fearing the publicity would impact her legal career.
The claim was reported by The Atlantic magazine and the article was written by E. Jean Carroll, a renowned journalist and columnist, who herself claimed in her memoir that Trump raped her in a New York City store.
Dozens of women have accused the president of sexual abuse and harassment since he announced that he would run for president in 2015. Trump has categorically rejected the claims.
"I’ll say it with great respect: Number one, she’s not my type. Number two, it never happened. I know nothing about this woman. I know nothing about her. She is — it’s just a terrible thing that people can make statements like that", Trump said responding to claims made by E. Jean Carroll in her memoir.
Carroll, in her turn, filed a defamation suit against the president.
