Trump accuser E Jean Carroll says 'most people think of rape as being sexy', forces CNN's Anderson Cooper to cut to commercial
CNN star Anderson Cooper was left speechless while interviewing writer E. Jean Carroll on Monday after she demurred his notion that most people considered rape as a violent assault.
The 76-year-old—who accused President Donald Trump of raping her in a dressing room in the 1990s—soft-pedaled her own alleged assault at the hands of President Donald Trump saying there was nothing "sexual" about the incident, and that it was more of a "fight", Daily Mail reports.
She then told Cooper she did not see herself as a victim.
In response, the host stated: "Most people think of rape as a violent assault."
Shockingly, Carroll retorted Cooper by saying: "I think most people think of rape as being sexy."
While the popular CNN host was visibly stunned at her comment, Carroll added, "They think of the fantasies."
Cooper then tried to cut to the show's first commercial break, stumbling over his words. But before he could do that, his guest struck a gaze and said: "You're fascinating to talk to."
"It was against my will, and it hurt, and it was a fight."
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) June 25, 2019
E. Jean Carroll recounts her alleged encounter with Donald Trump, who she says sexually assaulted her in a dressing room 23 years ago. https://t.co/H5XN1B1DWF pic.twitter.com/JhrGHzR7jr
During the interview, Carroll also responded to Trump's comments as he denied her allegations for the third time in a conversation with The Hill. "I’ll say it with great respect: Number one, she’s not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?" said Trump, doubling down on his claim that he and Carroll had never met despite a recently surfaced photo from 1987 which indicates otherwise.
"I love that. I am so glad I'm not his type. I'm so glad," Carroll said in response. "This was 20 years ago. And I probably was at that moment in that five minutes the most attractive woman in Bergdorfs for that one bit of time."
Following her response, Cooper noted this was not the first time Trump dismissed one of his accusers saying she was not his type. He had reportedly said the same thing about Jessica Leeds.
That said, both Carroll and Leeds are the oldest of the bevy of women—16 to be precise—who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct.
"When you looked at that horrible woman last night, you said I don't think so. I don't think so. She would not be my first choice, that I can tell you," Trump had said of Leeds. "Man. You don't know. That would not be my first choice."
Carroll previously claimed she would consider pressing charges against him. Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City, meanwhile, promised a full investigation into her claims once she filed a formal report with law enforcement.
However, the author remained skeptical whether a formal complaint would make any difference to Trump in an interview that aired on June 24 on New Day.
"Totally lying. I don’t know anything about her. I know nothing about this woman. I know nothing about her," Trump said of Carroll on June 24. "She is — it's just a terrible thing that people can make statements like that."