More Apprentice accusations. Season 5 Apprentice alum Summer Zervos claimed during a press conference on Friday, October 14, that Donald Trump once thrust his genitals at her during a business meeting.
The former contestant was emotional as she recounted how she had reached out to Trump, 70, about a job at his company in 2007 following her appearance on the hit NBC series in 2006, only to be bombarded with unwanted advances.
Upon their meeting at the Trump Tower to discuss the position, Zervos claimed the real estate mogul kissed her twice “on the lips,” and over lunch, complimented her on having “a large set of balls” during her run on the show. He also allegedly told Zervos he would “love to have [her] work for him.”
“As I was about to leave, he again kissed me on the lips,” she alleged. “This made me feel nervous and embarrassed, as this is not what I wanted or expected.” Zervos called her parents and a friend, upset about the inappropriate interaction, but ultimately agreed to meet with Trump a few days later in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Zervos got teary-eyed as she described how the Republican presidential candidate allegedly kissed her “open-mouthed, pulling me towards him,” putting a hand on her breast and at one point thrusting his “genitals” against her while at his bungalow at the hotel.
According to Zervos, after she repeatedly told him, “Come on man, get real,” the businessman finally backed off and treated the remainder of the meeting “like a job interview,” leaving Zervos confused as to whether the overtly sexual behavior had been “some kind of test.”
Gloria Allred, who appeared with Zervos and is representing several women who claim they were assaulted by Trump, told reporters: “Instead of a job, Ms. Zervos claims she got the Donald all over her, kissing her, touching her breasts, leading her into his bedroom.”
In a statement released after the press conference, Trump declared that the events Zervos detailed never happened.
“I vaguely remember Ms. Zervos as one of the many contestants on ‘The Apprentice’ over the years,” he said. “To be clear, I never met her at a hotel or greeted her inappropriately a decade ago. That is not who I am as a person, and it is not how I’ve conducted my life.”
Earlier in the day, The Apprentice season 4 winner Randal Pinkett told Us Weekly that Trump had frequently made sexist remarks during filming of the show, often talking about female contestants and noting which ones he wanted to have sex with.
“What I witnessed firsthand was Donald commenting on a woman’s attractiveness, how he thought she was beautiful and how he’d like to sleep with her,” the reality TV vet told Us. “He was expressing an interest or kind of saying, ‘Isn’t she beautiful? I’d love to sleep with her.’”
In the days following the release of previously unaired 2005 footage of Trump bragging to Billy Bush about forcibly groping and kissing women, several women have come forward to accuse the presidential candidate of sexual assault. During the second presidential debate on Sunday, October 9, Trump denied ever having done so.
