--- title: Trump Calls Sexual Misconduct Accusations 'Fake News' description: President Donald Trump targeted the women who have accused him of sexual misconduct, calling their claims "false" and "fabricated." canonical: https://time.com/5060172/donald-trump-claimed-he-never-met-women-accusing-him-sexual-harassment-not-true/ author: Jennifer Calfas article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-12-12T13:50:50.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T08:41:47.527Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Claimed He Never Met His Accusers. That's Not True og:description: Several of the women had participated in events in which he was the host og:url: https://time.com/5060172/donald-trump-claimed-he-never-met-women-accusing-him-sexual-harassment-not-true/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf1aceff5cf1d9660/6988f497656a3f4e1abd2cba/gettyimages-888701696.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5438 og:image:height: 3059 og:image:alt: President Donald Trump og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Claimed He Never Met His Accusers. That's Not True twitter:description: Several of the women had participated in events in which he was the host twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf1aceff5cf1d9660/6988f497656a3f4e1abd2cba/gettyimages-888701696.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Donald Trump Just Claimed He Never Met Women Accusing Him of Sexual Harassment. That's Not True > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 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. 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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. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=c1bfc217-b3be-42cc-a02f-0adfbbaa1845&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: White House Says Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against President Trump 'Took Place Long Before' 2016 Election [Watch (HLS stream): White House Says Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against President Trump 'Took Place Long Before' 2016 Election](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/wIUsDWeq.m3u8) (0:36)  _Published 2017-12-11. The White House again denied allegations of sexual misconduct against President Trump, as three of his accusers called for Congress to investigate his past behavior._ by [Jennifer Calfas](https://time.com/author/jennifer-calfas/) ## Jennifer Calfas Dec 12, 2017 1:50 PM UTC by [Jennifer Calfas](https://time.com/author/jennifer-calfas/) ## Jennifer Calfas Dec 12, 2017 1:50 PM UTC President Donald Trump targeted Democrats and the women who have accused him of sexual misconduct in a tweet Tuesday morning, calling their claims “false” and “fabricated.” “Despite thousands of hours wasted and many millions of dollars spent, the Democrats have been unable to show any collusion with Russia — so now they are moving on to the false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I don’t know and/or have never met,” the president tweeted. “FAKE NEWS!” > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/940554567414091776) While Trump claimed he did not “know and/or have never met” these accusers, several of the women had participated in events in which he was the host. Of the 19 women who have come forward with accusations against the president, one of them, Summer Zervose, was a contestant on the fifth season of NBC’s _The Apprentice_, and several of them were contestants in Miss USA pageants. Additionally, one of them is [Natasha Stoynoff, a former _People_ magazine staff writer](http://people.com/politics/donald-trump-attacked-people-writer/) who interviewed Trump and Melania Trump in Mar-a-Lago in 2005, when, she said, Trump forced her against a wall and kissed her. Their claims, many of which have a number of corroborators, were recently detailed again in [_The Atlantic_](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/12/what-about-the-19-women-who-accused-trump/547724/) and [The Washington _Post_](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/11/22/president-trump-and-accusations-of-sexual-misconduct-the-complete-list/?utm%5Fterm=.628e1d5cd5af). Trump’s tweet came after the White House [told _Megyn Kelly Today_](https://twitter.com/albamonica/status/940226767423451137) that the claims were “false” and “totally disputed in most cases by eyewitness accounts” — seemingly confirming, at least, that Trump at met at least some of his accusers. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TIME Tuesday morning. On Monday, three women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct in the past spoke [at a press conference](http://time.com/5058518/donald-trump-sexual-harassment-allegations/) and appeared on _Megyn Kelly Today_ amid a national reckoning as more men in a variety of industries have been fired or forced to resign over accusations of sexual harassment or sexual assault. The women repeated their accusations on Kelly’s program Monday morning in light of newfound attention to the subject — and the momentum of the [#MeToo movement](http://motto.time.com/4988282/me-too-tarana-burke-interview/). The stories told by Samantha Holvey, Rachel Crooks, and Jessica Leeds included allegations that Trump came backstage unexpectedly and inspected contestants during the Miss USA pageant in 2006, and that he had forcibly kissed Crooks on the mouth at Trump Tower in 2005. “In an objective setting, without question, a person with this record would have entered the graveyard of political aspirations never to return,” said Crooks said Monday. “Yet, here we are with that man as President.” In recent weeks, a wave of allegations has resulted in men in a variety of industries resigning or being fired. The list includes former Minnesota Sen. [Al Franken](http://time.com/5054253/al-franken-resigns-transcript/), who stepped down last week amid sexual misconduct allegations, as well as Michigan Rep. [John Conyers](http://time.com/5049821/john-conyers-retires-endorses-son/). Democratic lawmakers on Monday [called](http://time.com/5059417/donald-trump-democrats-resign/) on Trump to resign amid the allegations, as well as recommended a Congressional investigation into the claims. One of those lawmakers included New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, whom Trump also targeted on Twitter on Tuesday. “Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office ‘begging’ for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump,” he tweeted. “Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!” > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/940567812053053441) Gillibrand’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TIME. ## Transcript He thinks it's a good thing that women are coming forward, but he also feels strongly that a mere allegation shouldn't determine the course. And in this case, the President has denied any of these allegations, as have eyewitnesses. And several reports have shown those eyewitnesses also back up the President's claim in this process. And this took place long before he was elected to be president, and the people of this country had a decisive election, supported President Trump, and we feel like these allegations have been answered through that process. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5060172/donald-trump-claimed-he-never-met-women-accusing-him-sexual-harassment-not-true/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5060172/donald-trump-claimed-he-never-met-women-accusing-him-sexual-harassment-not-true/"},"headline":"Donald Trump Just Claimed He Never Met Women Accusing Him of Sexual Harassment. 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