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Trump insists assault allegations are '100 percent false'

By Elsa Gillis and The Associated Press
By Elsa Gillis and The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Donald Trump dramatically disassembled his teleprompters after a technical malfunction.

Trump was speaking to a rally crowd at the Charlotte Convention Center when he mentioned the devices that he'd shunned during the primaries hadn't been running for the prior 20 minutes.

When Trump tried to move one of the devices out of the way, the screen fell off the stand.

"Hey get this thing out of here, will you?" he said. "I like it much better without the teleprompters."

He later approached the other device and played around with the glass for a second before placing it on the floor.

Trump says he won't pay for the broken devices — and will get a discount on the sound after a speaker malfunctioned.

"Whoever runs this place is not doing very well," he joked.

'Women for Trump'

Trump is trying to demonstrate his strength with women in the face of new allegations of sexual assault.

Trump showed off members of his "Women for Trump" coalition Friday night.

They include his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, who appeared onstage, clad in hot pink, along with two women who appeared on his "The Apprentice" reality show and performed a call-and-response cheer.

Trump also met with a group of local faith leaders ahead of his rally.

The efforts come as yet more women have come forward claiming that Trump inappropriately groped or assaulted them years ago. Trump has dismissed the allegations as smears and lies.

Boycotting magazine

Trump is suggesting a boycott of the next issue of People Magazine after it published a story by a writer who claims Trump forcibly kissed her during an interview break.

It's one of a handful of allegations of groping and assault that have emerged against Trump in recent days.

Trump insists the allegations are "100 percent false" and says he's the victim of "one of the great political smear campaigns in the history of our country."

He says that when someone has met thousands of people, "it's not hard to find a small handful of people willing to make false smears for personal fame" or perhaps financial or political gains.

"You would be very impressed, actually, with my life in so many regards, including that regard," he said.

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