Political Memes

Documented Allegations & Evidence

1. The “Jane Doe” / Katie Johnson Lawsuit (1994 allegations, 2016 lawsuit)

What was alleged: A woman using pseudonyms filed civil lawsuits in 2016 claiming Trump and Jeffrey Epstein raped her repeatedly in 1994 when she was 13 years old at Epstein’s Manhattan residence. The complaint claimed Trump tied her to a bed, forcibly raped her, and slapped her when she asked him to stop.

Supporting documents:

• A sworn declaration exists in court records detailing the allegations
• A second declaration was signed by “Tiffany Doe,” who claimed she was hired by Epstein to recruit adolescent women to attend his parties

What happened to the case:

• A judge dismissed the initial California case in May 2016, ruling the complaint didn’t raise valid claims under federal law
• The lawsuit was refiled in New York, then withdrawn in November 2016
• Her lawyers cited death threats and safety concerns as reasons for withdrawal
• The woman hasn’t been heard from publicly since

Credibility concerns:

• Snopes and other fact-checkers traced the case’s promotion to Norm Lubow, a former “Jerry Springer Show” producer using the false name “Al Taylor,” who confirmed to Snopes he played a role in filing and promoting the claims
• The case was never adjudicated on its merits—the allegations remain unproven in court

What’s documented:

• Recently released Epstein emails show that in April 2016, Epstein forwarded a reporter’s request about Katie Johnson’s lawsuit to associates, writing “nuts but I thought you guys should know” to Trump campaign adviser Tom Barrack —showing Epstein was aware of the allegations

2. Miss Teen USA Dressing Room Allegations (1997)

What was alleged: Multiple former Miss Teen USA contestants allege Trump walked into their dressing room at the 1997 pageant while girls as young as 15 were changing

Named accuser: Mariah Billado, Miss Teen Vermont 1997, told BuzzFeed: “I remember putting on my dress really quick because I was like, ‘Oh my god, there’s a man in here.’”

Corroboration: Three other teenage contestants from the same year confirmed the story to BuzzFeed (they asked to remain anonymous)

Billado said she told Ivanka Trump about it, and Ivanka responded, “Yeah, he does that.”

Trump’s own statements: In a 2005 Howard Stern interview, Trump admitted to walking into dressing rooms at pageants he owned, saying he could “get away with things like that” as the owner. However, in that specific quote, he was discussing Miss USA and Miss Universe (adult contestants), not Miss Teen USA

Denials: Trump’s spokesperson denied all the allegations in 2016, calling them attacks “magically put out there in the final month of a presidential campaign”

Counter-evidence: Eleven other 1997 contestants said they didn’t recall Trump entering the dressing room, though some said it was possible it happened when they weren’t in the room

3. What Does NOT Have Evidence

Social media memes claiming Trump paid settlements to multiple named child victims (listing specific names, locations, and dollar amounts) originated from a subscription-only blog post by a conspiracy theorist with a history of false claims. There is no evidence whatsoever for these claims outside “toxic online conspiracy circles.”

Summary Assessment

The honest answer: There is one civil lawsuit alleging child rape (the Jane Doe case), but it was withdrawn before any evidence could be tested in court, and the case has significant credibility issues related to how it was promoted. There are corroborated accounts of Trump entering a teen dressing room, but that’s distinct from rape. There is no proven, adjudicated evidence of Trump raping children.