NEW YORK CITY — During Wednesday’s testimony in the civil trial of former President Donald Trump,
Donald Trump
Melania Trump
·Reporter
Wed, May 3, 2023 at 7:38 PM EDT·5 min read
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NEW YORK CITY — During Wednesday’s testimony in the civil trial of former President Donald Trump, author and journalist Natasha Stoynoff became the third woman to testify under oath that Trump sexually assaulted her years earlier.
Called as a witness by lawyers representing writer E. Jean Carroll, who is suing Trump, Stoynoff took the witness stand at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse in Manhattan. She told the jury about an incident in 2005 during which, she said, Trump forcefully kissed her while she was interviewing him at his Mar-a-Lago estate for an article for People magazine.
Stoynoff testified that she had interviewed Trump several times over the phone and in person during for the magazine, and that he had never made physical advances. That changed, she told the jury, during her trip to Mar-a-Lago in December 2005, when Stoynoff was assigned to do a piece on Trump’s first marriage anniversary with his wife, Melania, who was then pregnant with the couple’s son, Barron.
Choking back tears, Stoynoff told the jury that she spent the day at Mar-a-Lago, conducting interviews with Trump and Melania while they both were being photographed outside by the pool. During a break, she said, Melania went upstairs to change clothes and Trump asked her to go inside because he wanted to show her “a really great room.”
She recounted how he led her into the room and heard him close the door behind them. By the time she turned around, she said, Trump was pushing her against the wall and was kissing her. She told the jury she pushed him away but he came toward her again.
Carroll attorney Michael Ferrara asked her if she screamed or said anything during the assault.
“I didn’t say words. I couldn’t. I tried. No words came out. I tried,” she responded.
The whole encounter lasted just a few minutes, Stoynoff testified, and was interrupted when a butler came into the room to tell them that Melania was ready for their joint interview.Story continues
