Sexual misconduct charges and allegations dog many of Trump’s appointees

President-elect Donald Trump, who in a 2023 civil jury trial was found liable for sexually abusing author E. Jean Carroll in what a judge said amounted to rape, has a long history of defending accused sexual predators. In recent weeks, he has selected several individuals accused of sexual misconduct or with a history of minimizing rape to key roles in his administration.

During his 2016 campaign, the Washington Post published a recording of an unaired 2005 “Access Hollywood” interview in which Trump bragged to host Billy Bush about frequently sexually assaulting women and getting away with it due to his celebrity. “I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything,” Trump said. “Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.” Trump called the recording “locker room talk” and denied ever sexually assaulting women.

Since the release of the recording, more than 40 women have come forward to accuse Trump of sexual assault. Trump has denied all wrongdoing and is currently appealing an $83.3 million verdict against him in the Carroll case.

As he prepares to return to the White House in January, Trump has announced the appointment of several people with a history of alleged sexual abuse for possible administrative posts.

Matt Gaetz

Trump’s nominee for attorney general withdrew from consideration on Nov. 21, days after resigning his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives to take the job, amid revelations that a woman testified before the House Ethics Committee that he had had sexual encounters with her in 2017 when she was underage. Gaetz denied the allegations. In 2017, he was the only U.S. representative to vote against a law against human trafficking, saying he wanted smaller government.

Pete Hegseth 

Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense was accused of sexual assault in 2017. No charges were filed after an investigation, and he denied wrongdoing, but he paid the alleged victim cash as part of an out-of-court settlement.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 

Trump’s nominee for secretary of health and human services reportedly apologized to a former family babysitter in July after she accused him of sexual assault. “I have no memory of this incident but I apologize sincerely for anything I ever did that made you feel uncomfortable or anything I did or said that offended you or hurt your feelings,” Kennedy texted the woman. Asked by the Boston Globe if he might later face more allegations of sexual misconduct, he answered, “We’ll see what happens.”

Linda McMahon

Trump’s nominee for secretary of education and her husband Vince are reportedly being sued by five former employees of the WWE, the professional wrestling enterprise they founded, who worked as ring boys in the 1980s when they were teens. The plaintiffs allege that the McMahons “knew or should have known” a staffer had sexually abused them. An attorney for Linda McMahon said the suit was baseless, according to the Washington Post.

Elon Musk

Trump’s pick to co-lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, Musk and his SpaceX corporation reportedly were sued in July by eight former employees who claimed they were improperly fired for coming forward with allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination at the company. In June, the Wall Street Journal reported that as CEO, Musk had sexual relationships with a former intern and an employee; a SpaceX executive called the story “a completely misleading narrative.” 

Herschel Walker

While Trump has not formally appointed the unsuccessful 2022 Georgia Republican Senate nominee to any position in his new administration, he said on Nov. 3 that he would appoint Walker to build a missile defense shield. Walker has previously worked for Trump as a player for the New Jersey Generals football team, as a contestant on “Celebrity Apprentice,” and as a 2018 appointee to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. In a 2021 interview, Walker said he was accountable for alleged domestic abuse against his former wife, but denied ever breaking the law. 

On Dec. 5, Trump announced that he had selected venture capitalist David Sacks to be his artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency czar. In 1992, Sacks wrote a Stanford Review article defending a student accused of statutory rape and suggesting that the law prohibiting it is “a moral directive left on the books by pre-sexual revolution crustaceans.” Three years later, Sacks and future PayPal founder Peter Thiel co-authored a book called “The Diversity Myth: Multiculturalism and Political Tolerance on Campus,” in which the two dismissed date rapes as “seductions that were later regretted.” Both have since apologized for their arguments.

“The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail — and his Cabinet picks reflect his priority to put America First,” Karoline Leavitt, a Trump-Vance transition spokesperson, said in an emailed statement. “President Trump will continue to appoint highly-qualified men and women who have the talent, experience, and necessary skill sets to Make America Great Again.”

Gaetz, Hegseth, Kennedy, McMahon, Musk, Sacks, and Walker did not immediately respond to requests for comment for this story.

In his first term in the White House, Trump defended several political allies accused of sexual misconduct or domestic abuse, including 2017 Alabama Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore, former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, White House aide Rob Porter, and Supreme Court appointee Brett Kavanaugh.

At an Oct. 30 campaign rally, Trump told supporters, “Whether the women like it or not, I’m going to protect them.”