Former model Amy Dorris has accused Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her at the 1997 U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York. Speaking with the Guardian, she said the alleged assault took place just outside the bathroom in Trump's VIP box during the tournament on Sept. 5, 1997. She has accused the president of forcing his tongue down her throat, and groping her body.
"He just shoved his tongue down my throat and I was pushing him off. And then that’s when his grip became tighter and his hands were very gropey and all over my butt, my breasts, my back, everything," said Dorris, who was 24 at the time of the alleged assault. Trump, meanwhile, was 51 and married to his second wife, Marla Maples. "I was in his grip, and I couldn’t get out of it. I don’t know what you call that when you’re sticking your tongue just down someone’s throat. But I pushed it out with my teeth. I was pushing it. And I think I might have hurt his tongue."
To back up her claims, Dorris provided evidence that included six photos of her numerous run-ins with Trump, and her ticket to the U.S. Open. A number of individuals she told about the alleged incident corroborated her story, including her mother, therapist, and a friend from New York. Each person said what Dorris told them the day of the alleged incident lines up with what she said in her interview with the Guardian.
Detailing the incident further, Dorris said she spent a number of days with Trump in September 1997 when she went to New York with her boyfriend at the time, Jason Binn, who was friends with Trump. Shortly after meeting with him in his VIP box, Trump greeted her when she came out of the bathroom. "Initially I thought he was waiting to go to the bathroom," she said. He allegedly forced himself on her, to which she told him, "No, get away."
Despite her requests for him to stop, she said he "didn't care." The incident left her feeling "violated" and "in shock," she added. The day after, she and Binn went back to Trump's VIP box, and she decided to wear an outfit she referred to as more "conservative." Before arriving, they stopped by Trump tower for a meeting that also included Lenny Kravitz and Diddy. "It didn't matter that I changed my clothes, it was still the same situation," Dorris explained. When they arrived VIP box, they were joined by guests that included David Blaine and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Dorris described Trump's actions on video for the Guardian as well:
Trump has denied the allegations in a statement shared through his lawyers. The president's legal team called into question why Dorris kept spending time with Trump after the first incident, as had her former boyfriend Binn. "I was there from Florida and I was with Jason," Dorris said. "I had no money, nowhere to go. We were going from event to event and it was overwhelming."
Trump's lawyers suggested that Dorris only came forward with her allegations now in order to influence the election.
Dorris originally thought about going public with the allegations in 2016 when Trump was running for president, but she decided against it, fearing for the safety of her family. Back in 2016, at least 24 women leveled similar accusations against Trump. "Now I feel like my girls are about to turn 13 years old and I want them to know that you don’t let anybody do anything to you that you don’t want,” Dorris added. “And I’d rather be a role model. I want them to see that I didn’t stay quiet, that I stood up to somebody who did something that was unacceptable."
