Donald Trump, a jack-o’-lantern that at least ten people have been using as a toilet, indicated at a campaign rally Thursday that a People writer accusing him of sexually harassing her in 2005 wasn’t all that hot and thus her account isn’t credible. Natasha Stoynoff says Trump “shoved his tongue” down her throat while she was there to write about his and Melania’s one year anniversary, while Melania (pregnant with the couple’s son) was nearby.
Trump first attacked Stoynoff for not sharing the story earlier: “Why wasn’t it part of the story that appeared 12 years ago? Why didn’t they make it part of the story? I was one of the biggest stars on television with the Apprentice and it would’ve been one of the biggest stories of the year.”
Stoynoff explained that in her People piece, actually, and says she asked to be taken off the Trump beat immediately (her editor has defended her account of what happened):
But, like many women, I was ashamed and blamed myself for his transgression. I minimized it (“It’s not like he raped me…”); I doubted my recollection and my reaction. I was afraid that a famous, powerful, wealthy man could and would discredit and destroy me, especially if I got his coveted PEOPLE feature killed.
“I just want to forget it ever happened,” I insisted. The happy anniversary story hit newsstands a week later and Donald left me a voicemail at work, thanking me.
“I think you’re terrific,” he said. “The article was great and you’re great.”
Yeah, I thought. I’m great because I kept my mouth shut.
I asked to be taken off the Trump beat, and I never interviewed him again.
He added, a moment later: “You take a look. Look at her. Look at her words. Tell me what you think. I don’t think so. I don’t think so.” And then: “These people are horrible people. They’re horrible, horrible liars. And interestingly, it happens to appears 26 days before our very important election. Isn’t that amazing?”
Trump also claimed that the “invented account” has “already been debunked by eyewitnesses,” which isn’t true.
Here’s the full clip.