Trump just threatened to sue all women who have accused him of unwanted sexual advances. More lawsuit threats — but still no lawsuits. pic.twitter.com/qTPskDvGIv
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) October 22, 2016
The Republican nominee for President, Donald J. Trump, is not unfamiliar with threatening lawsuits against those who speak poorly of him or his business. He announced his latest threats at a rally in Gettysburg, PA, this morning. For survivors of sexual assault, it's no laughing matter. Trump promised to sue every woman who has come forward with claims of unwanted sexual advances.
As you can see in the video, above, courtesy of Buzzfeed, Trump promises he will sue all of his accusers once the election is over. Trump claims that the allegations against him are "total fabrication" and swears that the "events never happened." He explicitly states his plan to sue "all of these liars." His claims were met with cheers and applause from rally attendees.
Currently, at least a dozen women have come forward with allegations of sexual assault or misconduct against Trump. For survivors of sexual assault, Trump's threat of legal action reinforces fears many people have of coming forward with their stories and feeds into cultural stigmas about abuse victims and rape culture.