In 2005, Trump was talking to Access Hollywood host Billy Bush when he described his attempt to seduce a married woman. He explained, “I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.”
A video with the remark was leaked during Trump’s 2016 campaign. He dismissed it as merely “locker room talk.” Billy Bush was fired by NBC following the tape’s release. Though Trump initially apologized for the remarks, he later suggested that the tape was fake, before again admitting it wasn’t.
Trump first met Daniels at a 2006 celebrity golf tournament. They took photos together, and he invited her to dinner in his hotel room. After promising her a spot on Celebrity Apprentice, they had unprotected sex. Just months prior, Trump’s wife Melania had given birth to Barron, her only child, and his fifth.
Trump and Daniels meet at a 2006 celebrity golf tournament
Daniels sold the story for $15,000 to a magazine in 2011, but it never ran and she was never paid. She alleged that soon after, a man approached her in a parking lot and directly threatened her over the story.
A month ahead of the 2016 election, Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, provided a $130,000 payment for her to maintain her silence. Cohen later pleaded guilty to campaign finance crimes for his role in facilitating the non-disclosure agreement.
Trump repeatedly denied that the affair happened, and that he didn’t know of any payments to her.
When Daniels spoke out, a prolonged legal battle began over her breaking the terms of the NDA. Her lawsuits to break the terms of the NDA were eventually dismissed. Trump took the opportunity tweet further denials, using his moniker for her, “Horseface.”
“Federal Judge throws out Stormy Danials lawsuit versus Trump. Trump is entitled to full legal fees.” @FoxNews Great, now I can go after Horseface and her 3rd rate lawyer in the Great State of Texas. She will confirm the letter she signed! She knows nothing about me, a total con!
Within a month of denying any knowledge of the payment, spokesman Rudy Giuliani revealed that Trump had reimbursed Cohen for the $130,000.
Daniels filed three suits against Trump and his legal team to escape the NDA. One was dismissed, another was dismissed where Daniels was ordered to pay $293k in legal fees and went into an appeal process, and the third was settled.
During a 1997 interview with Howard Stern, Trump referred to women’s vaginas as “potential landmines.”
He explained, “You know, if you’re young, and in this era, and if you have any guilt about not having gone to Vietnam, we have our own Vietnam — it’s called the dating game…Dating is like being in Vietnam. You’re the equivalent of a soldier going over to Vietnam.”
In a 1994 TV interview about his infant daughter Tiffany, Trump said, “She’s got mama’s legs. We don’t know whether or not she’s got this part yet,” cupping imaginary breasts, “but time will tell.”
Trump famously cheated on his first wife with actress Marla Maples before divorcing Ivana for her. Before the divorce, he kept his mistress Maples close, even flying her to him in Aspen while there with his family. His affair was heavily reported in tabloids of the time.
