Summer Zervos

Summer Zervos and Donald J. Trump: Allegations of Sexual Misconduct

In October 2016, Summer Zervos, a former contestant on The Apprentice Season 5 (2006), accused Donald J. Trump of sexual misconduct tied to a 2007 encounter. Zervos alleges that after reaching out for career advice post-show, Trump invited her to the Beverly Hills Hotel under the pretense of a job discussion. There, she claims, he kissed her on the mouth without consent, groped her breasts, and pressed his genitals against her despite her protests. She detailed this at an October 14, 2016, press conference with attorney Gloria Allred, saying she felt “humiliated” (Web ID: 13).

Trump denied Zervos’ allegations, calling them “100% false” and “totally made up” in an October 15, 2016, speech in Bangor, Maine, suggesting they were a Clinton campaign ploy (Web ID: 8). His team pointed to her post-incident emails seeking Trump Organization work as evidence of fabrication, a narrative echoed on X in 2025 (Post ID: 2). The accusation emerged days after the Access Hollywood tape leak, joining over two dozen similar claims.

In January 2017, Zervos filed a defamation lawsuit in New York Supreme Court (Zervos v. Trump, Index No. 150522/2017), arguing Trump’s denials—calling her a “liar” on TV—harmed her reputation and restaurant business. A March 2018 ruling rejected Trump’s immunity claim as president, allowing discovery to proceed (Web ID: 13). After years of appeals, including a 2021 New York appellate affirmation, Zervos dropped the suit on November 12, 2021, without apology or payment from Trump, citing exhaustion after nearly five years (Web ID: 11).

In 2025, as Trump began his second term on January 20, Zervos, now 49, revisited her story in a February 25 Newsweek interview (Web ID: 3). She expressed frustration at renewed X attacks labeling her “opportunistic” (Post ID: 4) and tied her experience to E. Jean Carroll’s 2023 legal win, noting, “Dropping the case didn’t erase what happened.” While not pursuing new action as of March 9, she hinted at supporting advocacy efforts if Trump’s post-inauguration rhetoric targets accusers again (Web ID: 3). Her allegations remain a key thread in the ongoing discourse around Trump’s conduct.