Earlier this week, former Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Stacey Williams spoke out for the first time about being groped by Donald Trump in 1993. She told her story as part of a “Survivors for Kamala” Zoom call which was open to the public. Williams further explained the incident and her reactions after the fact in a CNN interview aired yesterday evening.
In Stacey’s telling, the story began with her and Jeffrey Epstein, whom she was dating at the time, walking down 5th Avenue in New York City. Passing in front of Trump Tower, Epstein suggested they go in and pay Donald Trump a visit, who was a personal friend of his. As soon as Donald Trump was in front of her, Stacey said, he “pulled [her] into him” and “the hands started moving.” She detailed how she “froze” as he ran his hands across her body for an extended period of time, including over intimate areas like her rear end and the sides of her breasts. Beyond the invasive and unwanted physical contact, Williams described how disorienting Trump and Epstein’s nonchalance was as the act took place. “This context made no sense,” she said, “because the hands were on me, and he and Jeffrey just kept talking, and like, looking at each other and smiling.”
The confusion continued after she left with Epstein, who she said began berating her for allowing Trump to grope her. The whole incident left Stacey feeling like “it was coordinated.” She said that she felt like “a piece of meat for some kind of weird, twisted game.” When she later received a postcard from Trump telling her that his place in Palm beach was her “home away from home,” she said she felt “sick to [her] stomach.”
CNN verified Stacey Williams’ story with three sources, who said she told them of the incident in 2006, 2015, and 2016. The former model’s first reaction was to hide the story from others and suppress the memory: “I put it in a little box inside of me, turned the key, locked it.” Williams has been a Democratic party volunteer for decades, though she is not linked to the Harris campaign in any official capacity. She also said that the timing of her statements is not related to the upcoming election, but instead the release of a documentary in which she briefly told this story, called Beyond the Gaze, whose release she said she “can’t control.” Another factor was her willingness to face the public scrutiny that such a revelation brings with it. “You have to really prepare yourself to be ready for that onslaught,” she said, “I’m ready now, just bring it.”
