US Election Live Blog: Former model tells of being groped by Trump after Epstein introduction

A former top model has made explosive claims against Donald Trump , accusing the presidential nominee of “groping her” in a twisted game with Jeffrey Epstein.

Donald Trump has been accused of groping a model in front of sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein in 1993, with the woman alleging it was a “twisted game” between them as they smiled at each other.

Stacey Williams made the explosive claim to The Guardian in a call organised by Survivors for Kamala, a group supporting the former president’s election opponent Kamala Harris.

She said the incident occurred at Trump Tower after Epstein suggested they stop by to visit the celebrity real estate mogul, and that Mr Trump put his hands “all over my breasts”.

Mr Trump’s campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the allegation came from “a former activist for Barack Obama” and was “unequivocally false”.

“It’s obvious this fake story was contrived by the Harris campaign,” she said.

Multiple women have accused Mr Trump of sexual misconduct including the writer E. Jean Carroll, with a New York jury finding last year that he sexually abused her in 1996.

Ms Williams, now 56, told The Guardian that she and Epstein – who died in 2019 – dated for a few months in the early 1990s and that it was “very clear then that he and Donald were really, really good friends and spent a lot of time together”.

Former model Stacey Williams stands at an event 1996. Picture: Evan Agostini

Stacey Williams says the ex-president, whose spokesperson denied the allegations, touched her in an unwanted sexual way in 1993, after Epstein introduced them. Picture: AFP

Mr Trump had said in 2002 that he had known the “terrific guy” for 15 years.

“He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side,” he said at the time.

When Epstein was arrested in 2019 on sex trafficking charges and became known as one of America’s most prolific abusers, the then-president said they had a “falling out” in the early 2000s and that he was “not a fan of his”.

The Guardian reported Ms Williams said that she later received a postcard from Mr Trump with a picture of his Mar-a-Lago residence and a handwritten note that said: “Stacey – Your home away from home. Love Donald.”

Kamala Harris near collision

She reportedly said she was “so utterly confused” by the incident because it seemed “somehow orchestrated” and left her feeling “like a piece of meat”.

With less than two weeks until the presidential election, Ms Williams told The Guardian she had not been prepared to come forward sooner because women who made such allegations received “horrifying and abusive” treatment.

She had previously shared parts of her allegations in social media posts. Two of her friends also told The Guardian that they remembered her mentioning the incident with Mr Trump in the past, with one saying she raised it in 2005 or 2006, and another in 2015.

• READ MORE: Imagine if Harris praised Hitler and called veterans ‘losers’

The heated rhetoric ramped up as early voting hit full swing. Tim Walz cast a ballot in Minnesota and Mr Trump revealed he would vote before election day.

Early polling, meanwhile, has led renowned election predictor Nate Silver to believe, in his “gut”, that Mr Trump will win the 50/50 toss-up race.

• READ MORE: ‘Generational moment’: Trump winning over Gen Z

If Mr Trump does win, the difference may come down to the biggest podcaster in the world. Both Mr Trump and Ms Harris will be in Texas this week, but only Mr Trump has confirmed an interview with Joe Rogan.

The vice president will continue on the campaign trail with a CNN town hall at 12 noon AEST, while Mr Trump hits the at 10am AEST for a rally in Georgia.
FOLLOW LIVE UPDATES BELOW:

Originally published as US Election Live Blog: Former model tells of being groped by Trump after Epstein introduction