Former People magazine writer says Trump assaulted her

A former writer for People magazine alleges that in 2005, Donald Trump sexually assaulted her at his Mar-a-Lago resort while she was there to interview him and his wife. 

{mosads}Natasha Stoynoff wrote Wednesday that in December 2005, she toured the Mar-a-Lago estate with Trump, now the Republican presidential nominee, and his wife, Melania, who was pregnant at the time, as part of a story about their first anniversary. 

Everything was going well, she said, until Melania stepped away for a few minutes. 

“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. 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,” Stoynoff said. 

“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.”

Stoynoff said Trump then told her that they were going to have an affair and promised to take her to an expensive steakhouse. He also reportedly referenced the famous tabloid cover during his affair with Marla Maples — who became Trump’s second wife — that said Trump had been the “Best Sex I Ever Had.” 

She also said that the next day, she decided to keep a massage appointment at the Mar-a-Lago Trump had booked for her. She showed up late and was informed that Trump had been waiting for her there.

“I lay on the massage table, but my eyes were on the doorknob the entire time. He’s going to show up and this guy’s going to let him in with me half-naked on a table. I cut the session short, got dressed, and left for the airport,” she wrote.

A spokesperson for Trump denied the account in a statement to People. 

“This never happened. There is no merit or veracity to this fictional story. Why wasn’t this reported at the time? Mr. Trump was the biggest star on television and surely this would have been a far bigger scoop for People magazine,” the spokesperson said. “She alleges this took place in a public space with people around. This is nothing [but] politically motivated fictional pile-on.”

Several women have come forward in recent days with similar stories. On Friday, a tape surfaced showing Trump in 2005 — shortly before the alleged incident with Stoynoff — telling “Access Hollywood” host Billy Bush that he can grope and kiss women without consent because of his celebrity.

When confronted with his comments at Sunday’s presidential debate by moderator Anderson Cooper, Trump said his words were “locker room talk” and that he has never forced himself on a woman.

“I’m not sure what locker room talk consists of these days. I only know that I wasn’t in a locker room when he pushed me against a wall. I was in his home, as a professional, and his beautiful pregnant wife was just upstairs,” Stoynoff said. “Talk is talk. But it wasn’t just talk in my case, it was very much action. And, just for the record, Mr. Trump, I did not consent.”