Trump accuser Natasha Stoynoff cries in court while recalling alleged forced kiss, ‘affair’ comment
Donald Trump accuser Natasha Stoynoff cried Tuesday while recalling for a Manhattan federal jury how the former president once allegedly forcibly kissed her — and then told her: “You know we are going to have an affair.”
Stoynoff — who took the stand at trial over E. Jean Carroll’s rape lawsuit against Trump, 76 — said the alleged assault took place at Mar-a-Lago in 2005 as she interviewed the real estate mogul for a People magazine article about his one year wedding anniversary with Melania Trump.
“By the time I turn around, [Trump] has his hands on my shoulders and pushes me against the wall and starts kissing me,” an emotional Stoynoff said. “I started pushing him away.”
The incident allegedly unfolded while a pregnant Melania was upstairs changing and Trump had taken Stoynoff to see a “beautiful” room in the house.
“He was kissing me,” the journalist recounted. “And he was against me and holding my shoulder back.”
Stoynoff said she didn’t scream and she didn’t say anything during the struggle.
“I didn’t say words,” Stoynoff said. “I couldn’t. I tried. I was flustered and shocked. No words came out of me. I tried though.”
She said the encounter was cut short when a butler came into the room and told the pair that Melania had finished changing and it was time for them to go back out to the yard.
When they walked back outside, Trump told Stoynoff, “You know we are going to have an affair,” the writer testified.
“Don’t forget what Marla said — best sex she ever had,” Stoynoff recalled Trump saying of his second wife.
Stoynoff said she told her direct superior at work about the incident but she didn’t go higher up because she didn’t want to cause trouble for the magazine and didn’t want the story to get killed.
“I was ashamed and humiliated,” Stoynoff said. The piece came out in People in January 2006.
Still, she asked to be taken off of her beat covering the Trump family — a request her boss granted.
Stoynoff came forward with her allegations for the first time in October 2016 for a piece in People following Trump’s response during a presidential debate denying comments he made in the now-infamous 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape, including that he would grab women “by the p—y” and that they let him because he was a star.
Stoynoff felt “a combination of sickness and a little bit of relief” when the tape surfaced, she said.
“I actually for the first time thought to myself ‘Oh, he does this to a lot of women. It’s not just me,’” she said Tuesday.
“The horrifying part was that I worried that because I didn’t say anything at the time, other women were hurt by him,” Stoynoff said through tears. “I had some regret there.”
Stoynoff wrapped up her testimony on Wednesday afternoon.
Trump has denied her allegations.
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