A video from 1992 shows Donald Trump making inappropriate comments about a 10-year-old girl, raising further concerns about his pattern of objectifying women and girls. The video, which was discovered by CBS News in 2016, depicted Trump, then 46, engaging with a young girl on an escalator inside Trump Tower.
As the girl confirms her intention to use the escalator, Trump makes a chilling statement to the camera: “I am going to be dating her in 10 years. Can you believe it?” The disturbing remark adds to the Republican presidential candidate’s already existing list of sexual assaults and inappropriate behavior, per a Vox report from 2016. This incident is consistent with Trump’s inability to separate a woman’s worth from her physical appearance, a tendency that has been repeatedly scrutinized on the global stage. According to Libby Nelson’s Vox analysis, Trump consistently reduces women to their ‘physical attributes,’ perpetuating a culture of objectification and devaluation of women. The video, consequently, shows that this pattern likely extends even to children.
The discovery of this video came after the release of a 2005 video in which Trump boasted about grabbing women ‘by the p***y.’ He then said that he was ’embarrassed’ by the quotes but defended them as ‘locker room banter’ and denied he had ever sexually assaulted a woman, reported The Independent .
Again, why is Ziegler being held to a different standard than the de-facto leader of the Republican Party? Donald Trump was found to have committed sexual assault by a court. There are dozens of women who have come forward with their stories about his conduct. https://t.co/9ZntPoZoKi
— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) December 6, 2023
Following the 2005 video, several women have come forward to accuse Trump of inappropriate behavior and assault, ranging from groping to unwanted advances. Back then, Jessica Leeds detailed an incident in which Trump allegedly groped her on a flight more than 30 years ago. Leeds compared Trump’s behavior to that of an octopus, saying, “He was like an octopus. His hands were everywhere.” Rachel Crooks, another woman, accused Trump of kissing her on the lips without her consent in Trump Tower.
Trump is still a president candidate , a mf with multiple sexual assault allegations. pic.twitter.com/IVmRCwWo9T
— GREEN (@RespectDaGOD) December 6, 2023
However, Trump has categorically denied all allegations, calling them false and threatening legal action against media outlets that have reported on them. The video, which features a 10-year-old girl, added fuel to the fire, raising questions about Trump’s inappropriate comments and behavior toward women of all ages. The incident reflects a troubling trend in which Trump appears to view women primarily through the lens of their physical appearance, failing to recognize the impact of his words and actions on their dignity and autonomy.
Donald Trump bragged about sexual assault and whines about how he was found guilty of sexual assault https://t.co/8K64U9DNLR
— Neil Overall (Jerry Dungarees son) (@agentgraves13) December 8, 2023
The controversy surrounding Trump’s treatment of women extends beyond personal anecdotes to allegations made by Miss Teen USA contestants. During the 1997 beauty pageant, four contestants revealed that Trump walked into their changing room. While Mariah Billado recalls Trump saying, “Don’t worry ladies, I’ve seen it all before,” 11 others claim they did not see him in the dressing room.
E. Jean Carroll said that a Manhattan federal jury’s finding that Donald Trump sexually abused her in the spring of 1996 – awarding her $5 million for battery and defamation – is a victory for all women who are victims of sexual assault https://t.co/akH1eelGtH
— CNN (@CNN) May 10, 2023
Elizabeth Jean Carroll, an American journalist and author best known for her Ask E. Jean column in Elle magazine from 1993 to 2019, charged Les Moonves and Donald Trump of sexual assault in the mid-1990s in her 2019 book. Carroll stated in a New York magazine article that Donald Trump sexually assaulted her in the Bergdorf Goodman department store in New York City in late 1995 or early 1996. On May 9, 2023, a jury found Trump liable for defamation and sexual abuse against Carroll, awarding her $5 million in damages.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on Dec 8, 2023. It has since been updated.