Another sexual assault allegation has been thrown at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, emerging after 11 years of silence, this time hitting close to home. A Ryerson graduate has come forward with her story.
Natasha Stoynoff, writer for People magazine, shared her story in a People politics spread. Stoynoff recounted her experience from December 2005, when she traveled to Mar-a-Lago to interview Donald and Melania Trump at their Florida estate for a wedding anniversary feature.
Stoynoff claimed that Trump told her there was a room in his house that he had to show her. “We walked into that room alone, and Trump shut the door behind us. I turned around, and within seconds he was pushing me against the wall and forcing his tongue down my throat.”
Stoynoff explained how Trump’s butler then burst into the room soon after and Stoynoff exited, but she said that wasn’t the end of it.
As she sat alone in another room with Trump, preparing for the interview, Stoynoff said, “Trump smiled and leaned forward. “You know we’re going to have an affair, don’t you?” he declared, in the same confident tone he uses when he says he’s going to make America great again.”
Stoynoff said that she told a colleague what happened the next day, but didn’t want to tell anyone else out of fear that Trump, a “famous, powerful, wealthy man,” would “discredit and destroy” her.
Stoynoff’s decision not to report is not an uncommon one. Statistics Canada reported that less than one in ten sexual assault cases are brought to the attention of police. Sexual assault victims may not report for various reasons, such as believing the police would not or could not do anything to help, believing it’s not important enough to report or, like Stoynoff, fearing retaliation, reported Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.
Trump, who has been accused of sexual assault by several women and has since been heard on video claiming he “can do anything” to women because of his position of power, has dismissed Stoynoff’s claims, and those of other women who have come forward, as “preposterous.”
Regardless of the outcome of these accusations, there is one outcome we can be certain of—a surge in discussion surrounding sexual assault.
After Trump’s on-video boasts of being able to do anything he wants to women, Kelly Oxford, writer, asked women to tweet her their sexual assault stories with the hashtag “#NotOkay”.
I am currently receiving 2 sex assault stories per second. Anyone denying rape culture, please look at my timeline now. — kelly oxford (@kellyoxford)
Many Republicans withdrew their endorsements after that same video and the accusations of sexual assault that came with it.
Leah McElrath, writer, broke down Trump’s Facebook apology by comparing it to the “psychological manipulations made by abusers after episodes of abuse” in a series of tweets that garnered widespread attention.
Trump’s statement is an eerie replica of psychological manipulations made by abusers after episodes of abuse. Let’s break it down.- (@leahmcelrath)
Though unfortunate that it took a series of sexual assault accusations against an American presidential candidate to achieve it, it’s important that discussion around and about sexual assault is now becoming more prominent.