Donald Trump at his wedding in 1993 (L) and Model Stacey Williams (R) stands at a Sports Illustrated promotional event January 23, 1996 in New York City.
Ron Galella | Ron Galella Collection | Getty Images
Thirty-one years after Stacey Williams says she was groped by Donald Trump while Jeffrey Epstein watched, the 56-year-old writer, consultant and former Sports Illustrated swimsuit model went public this week with her allegation.
Williams, 56, told her story on a “Survivors for Kamala” Zoom call Monday night that was open to the public and that organizers said hundreds of people joined. It featured an array of women discussing their experiences with sexual violence and included actor Ashley Judd and Tarana Burke, who founded the #MeToo movement.
Williams, a registered Democrat who attended the 2008 Democratic National Convention and has been involved in liberal causes in the past, said on the Zoom call that her decision to come forward was in part related to the election.
“I figured it was time to share this, and I’m ready to win this election,” Williams said on the Zoom call. “The thought of that monster being back in the White House is my absolute worst nightmare.”
In an interview with NBC News on Wednesday, Williams said her decision to come forward was not made in conjunction with the Democratic Party. Asked whether she had had any communications with Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, she said, “None whatsoever.”
Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt flatly denied Williams’ allegation in a statement. “These accusations, made by a former activist for Barack Obama and announced on a Harris Campaign call two weeks before the election, are unequivocally false,” the statement said in part.
NBC News spoke to seven people who said they discussed the allegations with Williams between 2006 and 2022. All of them said they found Williams and her claim to be credible and consistent. Her allegation was first published in The Guardian and first broadcast by CNN.
Williams appears to be the first person to publicly allege sexual misconduct by Trump in which Epstein played a role. None of the dozens of women in Epstein’s orbit whom NBC News has interviewed over the last seven years have accused Trump of misconduct that involved Epstein.
Epstein pled guilty in 2008 to a state charge of procuring a minor for prostitution and served time in jail in Florida. He died by suicide in 2019 in a federal jail in Manhattan as he awaited trial on charges of sex trafficking minors.
“I feel very comfortable and ready to tell it,” Williams told NBC News, “and then I can handle the backlash.”
A visit to Trump Tower
Deciding to speak out
Two years ago, Williams was interviewed for a film about the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, “Beyond the Gaze.” At one point, she said on camera that she was groped by a former president in front of Epstein, but she did not name Trump. Several weeks ago, she learned that the film would be shown at the Woodstock Film Festival earlier this month.
Williams told NBC News she thought it was important that she provide more context about what occurred, given that the premiere of the film was within weeks of the election.
“If this is to be out there, I need to tell my story, and I feel ready,” she said.
Through a friend, she was connected with the “Survivors for Kamala” call, a coalition of groups and individuals aligned in support of Harris.
Trump has faced allegations of sexual misconduct in recent years from numerous women, including former columnist E. Jean Carroll. Last year, a New York jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s but not liable for her alleged rape. He has continued to deny all allegations of sexual misconduct.
The latest allegation against Trump comes less than two weeks before Election Day and with early voting having already started in multiple states.
In a 2005 video that became known as the “Access Hollywood” tape after it became public in 2016, released just weeks before the election that year, Trump can be heard saying, “I’m automatically attracted to beautiful women — I just start kissing them, it’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything,” he said, including “grab ’em by the p—-.”
Williams said she had slowly become more comfortable with telling her story over time.
“He harmed me,” Williams told NBC News. “Sexual assault is harmful. It damages people.”