Trump accused of walking into dressing room at 1997 teen beauty pageant


Four contestants in the 1997 Miss Teen USA beauty pageant have accused Donald Trump of walking into their dressing room while they were changing, BuzzFeed News reports.
One of the women called it "shocking" and "creepy," with another remembering Trump telling them, "Don't worry, ladies, I've seen it all before." Some of the girls in the room were as young as 15.
"When he started running for president, that is one of the first things I thought about: Oh, gross, this guy walked in on us in the pageant," one of the women who spoke to BuzzFeed News said. She added that the girls in the dressing room were "just scrambling to grab stuff ... whatever garments they had."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump, who also owned Miss Universe and Miss USA, bragged to Howard Stern in 2005 that "I'll go backstage before a show ... You know, they're standing there with no clothes ... I sort of get away with things like that."
Eleven of the contestants from the 1997 pageant said they did not remember Trump entering the room, with some saying it wouldn't have been possible. "There was way too much security. If that was something he did, then everybody would have noticed," said Crystal Hughes, the former Miss Maine Teen USA.
The Trump campaign and organization did not respond to BuzzFeed News's requests for a comment.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Scientists are the latest 'refugees'
In the spotlight Brain drain to brain gain
-
5 dreamy books to dive into this July
The Week Recommends A 'politically charged' collection of essays, historical fiction goes sci-fi and more
-
6 sleek homes for modernists
Feature Featuring a concrete-and-steel home in South Carolina and a renovated 19th-century former carriage house in Pennsylvania
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami