Statement Analysis®

Did Donald Trump sexually assault E. Jean Carroll?


Advice columnist E. Jean Carrol has written a book entitled, What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal which will be available for purchase on July 2, 2019. A selection from her book appeared in the June 24, 2019 issue of New York Magazine. The excerpt talks about Donald Trump assaulting Carroll in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room 23 years ago. Carroll writes the following.

"So now I will tell you what happened: The moment the dressing-room door is closed, he lunges at me, pushes me against the wall, hitting my head quite badly, and puts his mouth against my lips. I am so shocked I shove him back and start laughing again. He seizes both my arms and pushes me up against the wall a second time, and, as I become aware of how large he is, he holds me against the wall with his shoulder and jams his hand under my coat dress and pulls down my tights."

"I am astonished by what I'm about to write: I keep laughing. The next moment, still wearing correct business attire, shirt, tie, suit jacket, overcoat, he opens the overcoat, unzips his pants, and, forcing his fingers around my private area, thrusts his penis halfway - or completely, I'm not certain - inside me. It turns into a colossal struggle. I am wearing a pair of sturdy black patent-leather four-inch Barneys high heels, which puts my height around six-one, and I try to stomp his foot. I try to push him off with my one free hand - for some reason, I keep holding my purse with the other - and I finally get a knee up high enough to push him out and off and I turn, open the door, and run out of the dressing room."

"The whole episode lasts no more than three minutes. I do not believe he ejaculates. I don't remember if any person or attendant is now in the lingerie department. I don't remember if I run for the elevator or if I take the slow ride down on the escalator. As soon as I land on the main floor, I run through the store and out the door - I don't recall which door - and find myself outside on Fifth Avenue."

When a person is recalling an event, he or she should be using past tense language. This is very easy to do when the story is coming from memory. As the person recalls what happened, he or she will automatically use past tense verbs. When a person uses present tense verbs, it is an indication that portion of their story is not coming from memory. Carroll consistently uses present tense verbs as shown below with angle brackets.

"So now I will tell you what happened: The moment the dressing-room door is closed, he <lunges> at me, <pushes> me against the wall, hitting my head quite badly, and puts his mouth against my lips. I <am> so shocked I <shove> him back and <start> laughing again. He <seizes> both my arms and <pushes> me up against the wall a second time, and, as I <become> aware of how large he <is,> he <holds>me against the wall with his shoulder and <jams> his hand under my coat dress and <pulls> down my tights."

"I am astonished by what I'm about to write: I <keep> laughing. The next moment, still wearing correct business attire, shirt, tie, suit jacket, overcoat, he <opens> the overcoat, <unzips> his pants, and, <forcing> his fingers around my private area, <thrusts> his penis halfway - or completely, I'm not certain - inside me. It <turns> into a colossal struggle. I <am> wearing a pair of sturdy black patent-leather four-inch Barneys high heels, which <puts> my height around six-one, and I <try> to stomp his foot. I <try> to push him off with my one free hand - for some reason, I <keep> holding my purse with the other - and I finally <get> a knee up high enough to push him out and off and I <turn,> <open> the door, and <run> out of the dressing room."

"The whole episode <lasts> no more than three minutes. I do not believe he <ejaculates.> I don't remember if any person or attendant <is> now in the lingerie department. I don't remember if I <run> for the elevator or if I <take> the slow ride down on the escalator. As soon as I <land> on the main floor, I <run> through the store and out the door - I don't recall which door - and <find> myself outside on Fifth Avenue."

All of the present tense verbs I have identified, should be in the past tense.

Some authors will use present tense language because it helps the reader to become part of the story. The reader can follow the writer step by step as the story builds up. However, this form of writing is sometimes done when an author is writing a fictional novel. When one is writing about historical events, writing in the past tense is required.

Some might believe writing in the present tense is Carroll's writing style. Her book is not just about Donald Trump. She also writes about other men or males that have been part of her life. She talks about being sexually assaulted when she was a child.

"James was 7 and a half or 8, a bloodthirsty, beautiful, relentless boy. He ordered everyone around, even the older kids. To me he said, 'I'm going to shove this up you again.' We'd played this game before. Our families had gone on a camping trip to Pokagon State Park, and I learned that an object could be shoved up the place where I tinkled. I don't remember now what it was, probably a stick, or maybe a rock. It felt like being cut with a knife. I remember I bled. 'I don't want to,' I said."

"We were standing on the hill. James looked at me with his feral gray eyes. He wadded up a piece of fabric - it was a light blue-violet shade and looked fluffy, like a bunched-up hairnet. 'Put this in your underpants,' he said."

"He pulled up my dress and crammed the balled-up material down my pants. Late at night, when the guests had gone home, I took off my dress, pulled down my pants. And there it still was, the wadded-up thing."

Notice how her description of this incident is all in the past tense as it should be. We can believe this happened to her. However, we cannot believe the Trump incident occurred.


In Statement Analysis we believe what people tell us. This approach in analyzing a statement helps us to see exactly what the person is saying or in some cases not saying. This helps us to determine if the person is being truthful. Carroll said that Trump, "jams his hand under my coat dress and pulls down my tights." We can believe he pulled down her tights. Later on, she writes, "and I finally get a knee up high enough to push him out and off and I turn, open the door, and run out of the dressing room." We can believe she ran out of the dressing room apparently with her tights still pulled down. She never talked about pulling up her tights and then running way.

We see the same thing when on June 21, 2019 she appeared on the show The Last Word w/ Lawrence O'Donnell. In describing what Trump did to her, she told O'Donnell the following.

"And it was a work of a second to reach in under my Donna Karan, through my - it opened in the front and through the Donna Karan dress and pulled down my tights."

Later on in the interview she stated, "So, somehow, I got my knee up and pushed him back and the minute he backed up I was out the door, and right down the steps and I don't know if I went to the elevator or the escalator." Again, she does not mention pulling up her tights.


Five times Carroll stated she was uncertain or did not remember something.


We also see she used the unique number three; "The whole episode lasts no more than three minutes." When deceptive people have to come up with a number, they will often use the number three or a number that begins with three. Also, if a person is uncertain of a number, he or she may use the number three. It is possible she is estimating how long the incident lasted.


It is possible Carroll did meet Donald Trump in a Bergdorf Goodman's store. Trump might have flirted with her and even hit on her. However, because she described the incident in the present tense which violates the rules of grammar, we have to question if her story is 100 percent true.



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