Cooper had asked writer E. Jean Carroll, 75, if she felt like she was a victim. During a discussion of her allegations with the CNN host, Carroll maintained that there was nothing “sexual” about her alleged rape in the dressing room of a New York department store.
“I was not thrown on the ground and ravaged,” Carroll said, denying that she was a victim. “The word rape carries so many sexual connotations. This was not sexual. It just hurt.”
She said: “I think most people think of rape as being sexy. They think of the fantasies.”
Clearly uncomfortable, Cooper swiftly cut in and said they would take a quick break.
Carroll’s interview with Cooper comes after she accused the president Friday of sexually assaulting her in either 1995 or 1996.
The accusation was published in New York Magazine as an early excerpt release of her book, coming out July 2, titled What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal.
Trump, 73, has denied the allegation on multiple occasions, saying on Monday that “she’s not my type.”
Carroll, who was Miss Cheerleader USA in 1964, claimed the incident took place in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room while she was about to try on lingerie. She said Trump pinned her against a wall, pulled down her tights and penetrated her with his penis.
Trump said in an interview: “Totally lying. I don’t know anything about her. I know nothing about this woman. I know nothing about her. She is — it’s just a terrible thing that people can make statements like that.”