TRUMP

58 ANATOMY OF A MONSTROSITY
Trump’s treatment of his wife fit with his usual pattern of behavior
toward women. Trump has been overheard declaring that “you’ve got
to treat [women] like shit,” 196 and a trail of accusers can confirm that
he means what he says. Long before Trump was exposed for bragging
on tape that he grabs women “by the pussy” without their consent, 197
he had been notorious for sexist and abusive behavior.
Many women have alleged outright sexual assault. Jill Harth sued
Trump in 1997 for having repeatedly tried to force himself on her.
When Harth and her boyfriend met Trump for dinner to talk about
holding an event at a Trump hotel, Trump sent his hand crawling up
her skirt and between her legs. “He was relentless,” Harth recalled “I
didn’t know how to handle it. I would go away from him and say I
have to go to the restroom. It was the escape route.” 198 During the
time Harth spent at the table, Trump, “spent a majority of his time
talking about the breasts he sees in beauty contests.” 199 Later, Harth
and her boyfriend met Trump at Mar-a-Lago to sign a contract for
their event. While alone with Harth, Trump, “allegedly grabbed [her]
and pulled her into his daughter’s empty bedroom.” As she recalled, “I
was admiring the decoration, and next thing I know he’s pushing me
against a wall and has his hands all over me… He was trying to kiss
me. I was freaking out.” 200 According to Harth: “I remember yelling,
‘I didn’t come here for this,’ He’d say, ‘Just calm down.’” 201 Trump later
paid Harth an undisclosed sum of money as part of a lawsuit settlement
in a different case, leading Harth to drop her remaining legal
claims against him. 202 (She has not, however, wavered on her story.)
A seemingly endless list of other women have reported similar accusations
against Trump. In the 1980s, Jessica Leeds found herself sitting
next to Trump on a plane, and remembers him spending the flight trying
to grope her. (“His hands were everywhere. It was an assault.” 203 )
Cathy Heller attended a Mother’s Day brunch at Mar-a-Lago in 1997,
and remembers Trump becoming angry when she would not let him
kiss her on the mouth, grabbing her and forcing a kiss on the side of