On Thursday, another woman accused Donald Trump of inappropriate behavior came forward on Thursday. Speaking at a news conference in New York City, Attorney Gloria Allred introduced Karena Virginia, a 45-year-old yoga instructor who encountered Trump when she was 27 year old. He was a stranger when he approached her at the 1998 U.S. Open while she was waiting for a friend to drive her home. Virginia recalls how Trump spoke to a group of men like she was an object: “Hey, look at this one, we haven’t seen her before. Look at those legs.” Virginia accuses Trump of then grabbing her breast and asking, “Don’t you know who I am?” She says his actions left her feeling attacked: I felt intimidated and I felt powerless.”
Virginia wept as she read her statement to the press and recounted the lasting trauma she’s felt over the years: “For years, I struggled with what to wear so as not to attract unwanted attention. Perhaps you do not remember me … but I can assure you I remember you.” The event left her ashamed, to the point where she was afraid to wear short dresses and show her legs to men. Virginia stated, “Your moment of pleasure came at my expense.”
The lifestyle coach made careful mention of how “no one has asked me to come forward.” In fact, she reveals that people warned her not to go public with her accusations. Virginia knows that “perhaps he will label me another ‘nasty woman.'” However, she resolved to stand up for herself and her family, including her daughter. She also feels obliged “as an American citizen to speak out and tell the truth.”
Virginia’s story follows similar accounts from nine other women, including former Apprentice star, Summer Zervos, who said Trump groped her and kissed her aggressively during a meeting about a job. Zervos’ story arrived on the same day as that of Kristin Anderson, who alleged that Trump stuck his hand up her skirt and grabbed her vagina at a club. These women came forward following Trump’s town-hall debate statement where he insisted that he’d never acted out his “locker room talk.” This extremely lewd banter from 2005 hot mic footage featured the real estate mogul telling Billy Bush how he likes to “grab them by the p*ssy.”
(Via NBC News)