President Donald Trump has responded to the rape allegations described by columnist E. Jean Carroll in graphic detail in New York Magazine. In a statement, Trump said that he’s “never met this person in my life” in reference to Carroll. Below is a photograph of Carroll, Trump, and his then-wife Ivana Trump at an NBC party in 1987:

President Trump: “I’ve never met this person in my life.”



Photo caption: “Carroll, Donald and Ivana Trump, and Carrolls’s then-husband… at an NBC party around 1987.” pic.twitter.com/pjVswgedba — Scott Bixby (@scottbix) June 21, 2019

“She is trying to sell a new book — that should indicate her motivation. It should be sold in the fiction section,” Trump said in his statement, before making a pointed reference to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, claiming Carroll’s account is on par with the allegations waged against Kavanaugh by Julie Swetnick. “There is zero evidence” he said. “No pictures? No surveillance? No video? No reports? No sales attendants around? I would like to thank Bergdorf Goodman for confirming they have no video footage of any such incident, because it never happened.”

NEW: President Trump responds to sexual assault allegations by E. Jean Carroll, saying `I've never met this person in my life' pic.twitter.com/qAyFStIYzq — Laura Litvan (@LauraLitvan) June 21, 2019