With less than a month to go until Election Day, the U.S. presidential race seems to be more about scandals than politics. On Friday, two more women came forward claiming they had been sexually harassed by the Republican candidate, Donald Trump.
Kristin Anderson and Summer Zervos made official statements to the U.S. media about Donald Trump’s improper advances toward them in the past.
Even though Trump has said questionable things since the beginning of the campaign, the accusations of sexual harassment have affected the already damaged reputation of the Republican candidate and the whole party.
Trump has reportedly harassed at least ten women
The media narrative of Donald Trump as a sexual predator began on October 8 when a secret voice recording of the business mogul leaked online.
In the tape, Trump made comments of the then Access Hollywood host Nancy O’Dell and detailed how fame and fortune allowed him to get away with almost anything.
However, it seems like the #TrumpTapes scandal was just the inciting incident for many more outrageous happenings to come to light.
Several outlets have compiled the reported claims against Donald Trump for sexual harassment, and they all range from five to ten different accounts from women at various times and locations.
Trump’s speech has encouraged more women to come forward and tell their stories
The oldest instance of the Republican candidate engaging in lewd behavior happens to be also one of the most recent allegations to surface. Jessica Leeds, a 74-year-old woman, told The New York Times on Thursday Donald Trump had kissed and groped her during a first-class flight to New York in the early 1980s.
Prompted by Trump’s comments during last Sunday’s presidential debate, Rachel Crooks came forward along with Mrs. Leeds to the NYT. Rachel Crooks recalled being kissed on the mouth by the businessman as a 22-year-old secretary working at Trump Tower in 2005.
The two women who reported their stories on Friday share some common elements with Mrs. Crooks and Leeds’ retellings. Kristin Anderson said her encounter with Trump happened at a Manhattan nightclub in the early 1990s.
She claimed the 70-year-old man slid his hand up her skirt and even touched her genitals. Anderson did not recognize him instantly, but as she moved away, her friends pointed out the man was Donald Trump.
On the other hand, Summer Zervos formally accused Mr. Trump of sexual harassment in the presence of the media on Friday afternoon.
Zervos is a former ‘The Apprentice’ contestant, and she claims the Commander-in-Chief aspirant had kissed her in the mouth and groped her breasts in two separate occasions: Once at a meeting in his New York office and a second time at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Donald Trump has denied all claims of sexual harassment
Donald Trump and his campaign staff have categorically denied all allegations made against them citing a defamation campaign against him by Hillary Clinton and the mainstream media.
Further women in the list of alleged Trump victims include ex-girlfriend Jill Harth during the 1990s, Cathy Heller and Temple Taggart in 1997, Mindy McGillivray in 2003, Natasha Stoynoff in 2005, and Cassandra Searles in 2013.
The reported actions of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton alike have made out of this election cycle in the U.S. a very controversial one. Moral dilemmas have arisen in both camps as more and more details of dubious-natured activities and attitudes come to light about both candidates.
A third and final presidential debate is scheduled for Wednesday, October 19. Election Day, as is tradition, will take place on the second Tuesday of November. America will cast their ballots to choose either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton on November 8.
Source: CNN
