--- title: Donald Trump Attacked the Women Accusing Him of Sexual Assault description: Donald Trump has ramped up his attacks against the women accusing him of sexual assault, firing back at them personally at a campaign rally. canonical: https://time.com/4531872/donald-trump-sexual-assault-accusers-attack/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-10-14T19:36:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:45:28.242Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Attacked the Women Accusing Him of Sexual Assault og:description: He said they were lying and called two unattractive. og:url: https://time.com/4531872/donald-trump-sexual-assault-accusers-attack/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8d1d5b67c5691aa1/6988aa2fcd1bba2f38702b94/trump-attack.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: GOP Presidential Nominee Donald Trump Campaigns In Charlotte, North Carolina og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Attacked the Women Accusing Him of Sexual Assault twitter:description: He said they were lying and called two unattractive. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8d1d5b67c5691aa1/6988aa2fcd1bba2f38702b94/trump-attack.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Donald Trump Personally Attacked the Women Accusing Him of Sexual Assault > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=672508f8-9469-4dc2-bf0f-9fb9e5439a1a&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 85,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 37.0% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=672508f8-9469-4dc2-bf0f-9fb9e5439a1a&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=672508f8-9469-4dc2-bf0f-9fb9e5439a1a&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Oct 14, 2016 7:36 PM UTC  Donald Trump speaks to supporters at a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 14, 2016. Donald Trump speaks to supporters at a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 14, 2016.Brian Blanco—Getty Images  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Oct 14, 2016 7:36 PM UTC Donald Trump has ramped up his attacks against the [women accusing him of sexual assault](http://time.com/4530242/donald-trump-sexual-allegations/?xid=tcoshare), firing back at them personally at a campaign rally without using their names. Speaking in front of a rowdy crowd in Greensboro, North Carolina, Friday afternoon, Trump said all of the allegations were lies, called one accuser a “horrible woman,” told his followers to look up another on Facebook and said another accuser “would not be my first choice.” “When you looked at that horrible woman last night, you said, ‘I don’t think so,'” he said about one of his accusers. The rally was Trump’s most aggressive effort yet to defend himself on the sexual assault allegations that have come out since he denied ever touching women inappropriately at the second presidential debate. He mocked the allegations, calling them lies and, at one point, even mimicking grabbing someone with his hand. While Trump was speaking, former _Apprentice_ contestant Summer Zervos was holding a press conference in which she said that in 2007 Trump kissed her, groped her and attempted to seduce her during what she thought was a professional dinner meeting. At the rally, Trump called People magazine reporter [Natasha Stoynoff](http://people.com/politics/donald-trump-attacked-people-writer/), who claims he forcibly kissed her in 2005 while she was writing an article about him, a liar, and may have implied for the second time that she was not attractive enough for him to try to kiss. (On Thursday, [he said of Stoynoff](http://time.com/4530339/donald-trump-sexual-assault-media-hillary-clinton/?iid=sr-link1), “Look at her, look at her words, you tell me what you think. I don’t think so.”) “She is a liar,” he said. “Check out her Facebook page, you’ll understand.” **Read More:** [_Transcript of Donald Trump’s Speech on His Accusers_](http://time.com/4532181/donald-trump-north-carolina-accusers-speech-transcript/) He also attacked the appearance of Jessica Leeds, who claims Trump groped her on an airplane. “Believe me, she would not be my first choice, that I can tell you,” he said. He also questioned the most recent allegation, from a woman named Kristin Anderson [in the Washington _Post_ today](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/woman-says-trump-reached-under-her-skirt-and-groped-her-in-early-1990s/2016/10/14/67e8ff5e-917d-11e6-a6a3-d50061aa9fae%5Fstory.html?hpid=hp%5Frhp-top-table-main%5Fno-name%3Ahomepage%2Fstory) , who says that he put his hand up her skirt at a club, arguing it could not be true because he doesn’t ever go to clubs by himself. “I was sitting alone in some club? I really don’t sit alone that much, folks,” he said. Trump categorically denied the allegations against him, arguing alternately that the women were doing so for attention and that they were part of a media conspiracy to bring down his campaign, singling out New York _Times_ shareholder Carlos Slim, who is Mexican, as partly responsible for the coverage. “They have no witnesses,” he said of the accusers. “There’s nobody around. They just come out. Some are doing it for probably a little fame. They get some free fame.” Advancing his theory that these accusations are part of [a conspiracy against him](http://time.com/4530568/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-conspiracy/?xid=homepage) by journalists and the Clinton campaign, Trump said, “The process is rigged. This whole election is being rigged.” He argued that media coverage is “poisoning the minds of the electorate.” Still, Trump seemed aware of the damage these stories could do to his campaign. “If 5% of the people think it’s true, maybe even 10%, we don’t win,” he said. But when he polled the audience and asked them if he should be responding to the allegations, he appeared to be secure in his choice. “When you get hit, you hit back,” he said. “You gotta do it.’ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4531872/donald-trump-sexual-assault-accusers-attack/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4531872/donald-trump-sexual-assault-accusers-attack/"},"headline":"Donald Trump Personally Attacked the Women Accusing Him of Sexual Assault","datePublished":"2016-10-14T19:36:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:45:28.242Z","description":"Donald Trump has ramped up his attacks against the women accusing him of sexual assault, firing back at them personally at a campaign rally.","url":"https://time.com/4531872/donald-trump-sexual-assault-accusers-attack/","keywords":["Donald Trump","2016 Election"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8d1d5b67c5691aa1/6988aa2fcd1bba2f38702b94/trump-attack.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tessa Berenson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8d1d5b67c5691aa1/6988aa2fcd1bba2f38702b94/trump-attack.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"GOP Presidential Nominee Donald Trump Campaigns In Charlotte, North Carolina","caption":"Donald Trump speaks to supporters at a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 14, 2016.","creditText":"Brian Blanco—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4531872/donald-trump-sexual-assault-accusers-attack/","name":"Donald Trump Personally Attacked the Women Accusing Him of Sexual Assault"}}]}] ```