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E. Jean Carroll: “I’m Sick of” Donald Trump Gaslighting His Sexual Assault Accusers

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E. Jean Carroll Says She's "Sick of" Trump Gaslighting His Sexual Assault Accusers

On Monday morning, veteran writer and advice columnist E. Jean Carroll sat down with CNN’s Alisyn Camerota to discuss the writer’s New York magazine cover story, which was published last Friday. Carroll’s piece included accusing then-real estate mogul Donald Trump of violently sexually assaulting her in a department store dressing room in the ’90s.

Part of the Monday interview included Carroll responding to the denial the president issued Friday, in which he insisted that he had “never met this person in my life” despite the article containing a picture of Carroll and Trump, along with Trump’s first ex-wife, Ivana Trump, talking at a party in the late ’80s.

“He denies it, he turns it around, he attacks, and he threatens,” Carroll said Monday. “And then everybody forgets it, and the next woman comes along, and I am sick of it. Alysin, I am sick of it.”

Trump’s statement also accused Carroll of fabricating the alleged attack in order to sell more copies of her forthcoming book, What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal, which the NY Mag cover story excerpted.

As far as Carroll is concerned, this is all part of a predictable pattern that Trump uses to gaslight his numerous sexual assault accusers.

Carroll is of course referring to a pattern we all saw play out during the 2016 election, when women came forward to allege that Trump had assaulted them in ways that were similar to what he bragged about doing in the infamous Access Hollywood tape. One of the then-candidate’s tactics included calling the women liars, threatening to sue them, and implying that some accusers were not attractive enough to earn applause breaks at rallies.

While addressing reporters on Saturday, Trump took a threatening tone when discussing Carroll’s accusations.

“People have to be careful, because they are playing with very dangerous territory,” Trump said. “When you look at what’s happened to Justice Kavanaugh and you look at what’s happening to others, you can’t do that for the sake of publicity.”

Carroll dismissed the notion that she had any ulterior motive for outing what she claims was a violent attack that caught her completely off guard, other than trying to hold an alleged sexual predator accountable.

“I’m not political. No, I’m not organized, that is the last thing—all I want to do—well, I’m just fed up. I’m just fed up with what’s been going on with the women and the sexual …,” Carroll said before trailing off. She added: “I can’t believe that he is in the White House. And it makes me sick. What else can I do but just tell my story?””

In a video New York magazine released Monday morning, Carroll astutely sums up Trump’s pattern of gaslighting his almost two dozen sexual assault accusers as it pertains to his recent statements dismissing her own harrowing account.

“Of course he denied it,” Carroll said. “Well, first of all, the president is gaslighting America. He’s doing everything that powerful men do. He distracts attention by mentioning Judge Kavanaugh, so that takes it off of him. He’s threatening. He’s denying and he’s also playing the victim. It’s an amazing combination.”

The entire five-minute interview segment is well worth your time:

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