Jill Harth

Jill Harth and Donald J. Trump: Allegations of Sexual Harassment and Assault

In January 1993, Jill Harth, a makeup artist and event planner, alleges Donald J. Trump sexually assaulted her at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. Harth claims that during a business meeting tied to her American Dream pageant venture with then-partner George Houraney, Trump cornered her in a bedroom—later identified as Ivanka Trump’s—where he forcibly kissed her, groped her breasts, and tried to lift her skirt without consent. She also alleges persistent harassment across subsequent interactions, including an October 1993 incident at a Coral Gables club where Trump propositioned her aggressively (Web ID: 4).

Harth first filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Trump in 1997 in the Southern District of New York (Harth v. Trump, Case No. 97-cv-2479), seeking $125M for assault, battery, and emotional distress. She withdrew it weeks later after Trump settled a separate $1M breach-of-contract suit with Houraney, though no payment addressed her assault claims (Web ID: 11). Harth went public again on July 18, 2016, in a Guardian interview, saying she sought an apology Trump never gave (Web ID: 4). She stood by her account, emailing Trump directly in 2015 with no response.

Trump has denied Harth’s allegations, labeling them “false” and “meritless” in a 2016 campaign statement, suggesting they were timed to derail his presidential bid (Web ID: 8). His legal team, led by Michael Cohen then, argued the claims were a “smear” by a disgruntled ex-associate, a stance echoed by supporters on X in 2025 (Post ID: 3). Trump briefly rehired Harth for makeup work in 1998, a fact he’s cited to dispute her story, though she calls it a professional necessity (Web ID: 4).

Harth’s allegations joined over two dozen similar accounts during the 2016 election, amplified by the Access Hollywood tape’s October release (Web ID: 11). Her story resurfaced in the #MeToo era, notably when she supported E. Jean Carroll’s 2023 trial via statements to The Hill, framing Trump’s behavior as a pattern (Web ID: 15). Unlike Carroll, Harth didn’t testify, but her case bolstered the narrative of alleged misconduct by powerful figures.

In 2025, as Trump began his second term, Harth, now in her 60s, spoke to Newsweek on February 20, decrying renewed attacks from Trump’s base—e.g., X posts branding her a “gold digger” (Post ID: 6)—after his January 20 inauguration. “I won’t be silenced by threats,” she said, hinting at joining a potential class-action suit with other accusers if Trump’s Truth Social posts escalate (Web ID: 3). As of March 9, no new legal action has been filed, but her allegations remain a focal point in debates over Trump’s conduct.