Previous Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover star alleges Trump initiated unwanted touching to impress Jeffrey Epstein
In her initial on-camera discussion about the accusation, Williams talked to CNN on Thursday, providing her most in-depth public recount of the supposed incident, which she claimed happened outside Trump's office in Trump Tower during the early 1990s. At that time, she was in her 20s and briefly dating Epstein. Three associates of Williams have confirmed to CNN that she told them about the encounter with Trump and Epstein in 2006, 2015, and 2018, respectively.
According to Williams, she and Epstein were roaming Fifth Avenue in New York City in 1993 when Epstein brought her to Trump Tower to meet Trump. Upon arriving outside his office, Trump supposedly approached them, Williams said.
“As soon as he was in front of me, he pulled me in close, and his hands were all over me, refusing to let go,” Williams explained. “His hands then moved, running along my sides, hips, down to my bottom, back up, and so on – they were all over me the entire time. I was frozen, unable to comprehend what was happening,” she added.
Williams alleged that Epstein and Trump continued talking while Trump's hands were still on her, both of them grinning and chatting as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. She suspected that an assistant to Trump might have entered and exited the room while they were there but was unsure.
“I was probably trying to keep up appearances, like in any social situation, by smiling and carrying on, but it was like an out-of-body experience. I’m not sure if I spoke or answered any questions, I just can’t remember,” she continued. “It was one of the strangest moments in my life.”
Williams claimed she received a postcard from Trump shortly after the encounter, delivered to her modeling agency by courier. The postcard featured a picture of Palm Beach's Mar-a-Lago resort on the front and was signed, "Stacey, Your home away from home. Love, Donald," with no date provided on the back.
The Trump campaign dismissed Williams' accusations, stating she brought up her story during a Zoom call on Monday evening at a "Survivors for Kamala" event supporting Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign, though the group is not affiliated with the Harris campaign. The campaign spokesperson claimed, "These accusations, presented on a Harris Campaign call two weeks before the election, are false."
A representative for Emhoff denied the tabloid allegations that he assaulted his former girlfriend in 2012.
Williams stated that she met Epstein before the alleged incident at her agent's invitation to a dinner in New York that Epstein also attended. She also mentioned having a conversation with both of them at Trump's Plaza Hotel Christmas party that year and their meeting at a Saturday Night Live taping once before.
People close to Williams, including a longtime acquaintance, confirmed to CNN that she had discussed her past relationship with Epstein. Property records show that a trust associated with Epstein bought a brownstone in the vicinity of Fifth Avenue in 1992.
After the Christmas party, Williams said on the Zoom call that Epstein showed intense interest in her, and the two began dating. She told CNN that they often strolled around the city, and Epstein frequently talked about Trump.
At the time, no one around Epstein, a convicted sex offender who passed away in jail before federal sex-trafficking charges could be brought against him, appeared to be aware of his predatory behavior, according to Williams. “I wouldn’t have sat down at that table if I’d known what he was up to," she admitted.
Upon leaving Trump Tower, Williams claimed that Epstein remained silent throughout their elevator ride down but criticized her later for allowing Trump to touch her.
“I felt a wave of shame wash over me, realizing that the entire situation seemed deliberately orchestrated – like I was used as a prop in some twisted game,” she stated. “It made me feel even worse, and I couldn’t bear to think about or discuss it for a long time after that.”
Williams and Epstein maintained contact for a short while after the incident but eventually cut ties. “I realized that there was something seriously wrong with him and broke things off, informing him that I wanted no further contact with him,” she said.
She never communicated with Trump again and avoided him in social settings, she added. “I would avoid any situation where I believed there was even a chance he might be present, I was embarrassed,” she admitted.
She received the Palm Beach postcard bearing Trump's signature and delivered via courier not long after the alleged incident, but she's not sure when, as her fan mail often piled up at her modeling agency. The manufacturer of the postcard told CNN that the postcard was likely from the 1990s but couldn't verify the exact date it stopped being in circulation.
Trump's alleged sexual misconduct towards women has been a recurring theme since his presidential campaign in 2016. Various females have claimed that he inappropriately touched, kissed, or assaulted them. Trump consistently denies these accusations. E. Jean Carroll, one of his accusers, successfully sued him for defamation twice over the past two years due to his disparaging comments about her and his denial of her rape allegations.
Trump has historically attempted to distance himself from Jeffrey Epstein, following Epstein's charges of inappropriate sexual conduct with minors in the mid-2000s. There exist numerous photographs and videos of the two associating in the 1990s and 2000s.
When asked about Epstein in 2002, Trump told New York Magazine, "I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy," and added that Epstein "likes beautiful women as much as I do."
Epstein was eventually arrested in July 2019 for sex trafficking minors and died by suicide in a New York jail cell later that same month. After Epstein's charges, Trump stated that he was not aware of Epstein's misconduct.
"I was not a fan of Jeffrey Epstein," Trump declared. "And you watched people yesterday saying that I threw him out of a club. I didn’t want anything to do with him. That was many, many years ago. It shows you one thing: that I have good taste. OK?"
Keeping silent
According to Williams, she did not disclose her allegations against Trump at the time they occurred. When Trump announced his presidential candidacy in 2015, a friend of Williams' visited her home and discovered a postcard from Trump on her kitchen countertop. The postcard contained a message and signature from Trump, prompting Williams to share her accusation of being groped by him.
Williams recalled finding the postcard among her mementos from her modeling days in the 1990s. She said that she did not remember discussing the incident with her friends until 2015, when Trump announced his campaign for president.
Reports state that Williams did not inform her husband, whom she married after the alleged incident, of what had transpired. However, she did acknowledge that she had known Epstein in the past.
Williams claimed that she did not share any details of the Trump-Epstein incident with her husband, but she did discuss certain aspects of her New York modeling career in the 1990s. "He knew I suffered a lot," she said.
"I prided myself on being kind of tough and fighting back, and that was the one time I didn’t, and I think that’s honestly why I locked that and buried it more than anything else," Williams explained.
The decision to speak up
With Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, Williams opted against coming forward due to family concerns. However, following the emergence of the #MeToo movement in 2017, she began exploring avenues to discuss her experience.
Williams spoke about Epstein on an off-the-record podcast in 2019, mentioning her allegations against him. Additionally, she shared certain details of the incident on her social media accounts in 2020 and 2024, albeit with private settings.
The push for her to speak out publicly came through her participation in a documentary related to the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, which she joined in 2022. In the documentary, she referred to the incident but did not mention Trump by name.
The documentary aired this past weekend, prompting Williams to share her story more publicly. "You want to be really, really ready, and I wasn’t. I think there’s an evolution to contending with your abuse, or these types of incidents, and it doesn’t happen overnight," she said.
Williams has consistently supported the Democratic party since high school and has volunteered for them for decades. She has also worked on climate and energy issues, including joining the "Clean Tech for Obama" group. Williams has not contacted the Harris campaign, a representative stated.
While the election is approaching, Williams maintained that her decision to speak out now was not motivated by the presidential campaign but rather by the timing of the documentary's release.
During a "Survivors for Kamala" call, Williams expressed her disdain for Trump's presidential candidacy and hoped that others would be inspired by her story to not support him.
"The thought of that monster being back in the White House is my absolute worst nightmare," she affirmed.
In the context of discussing Williams' allegations against Donald Trump, the sentence could be: "This incident, which happened outside Trump's office in Trump Tower during the early 1990s, raised significant questions about politics and power dynamics."
Another sentence that fits the context is: "The political implications of the story, especially given Williams' claims that Trump and Epstein continued their conversation as if nothing unusual was happening, have sparked intense debate in the realm of politics and public figures' conduct."
