Elle magazine columnist accuse Trump of sexual assault in '90s, President denies

American journalist and an advice columnist for the Elle magazine Elizabeth Jean Carroll has accused US President Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her at a New York luxury department store in the late 1990s.

Carroll detailed the allegations in her forthcoming book, "What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal," excerpts of which were published earlier Friday in New York Magazine, CNN reported.

While Carroll does not appear to name Trump in the printed excerpt of the first-person account, he is named in the headline, which reads: "Hideous Men Donald Trump assaulted me in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room 23 years ago. But he's not alone on the list of awful men in my life."

However, Trump denied the allegations in a statement on Friday, saying he had "never met this person."

The President further accused the columnist of sharing her account to raise book sales, comparing her to women who "falsely accused" Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his contentious confirmation hearings. The article published on Friday also shared a photo of Trump and Carroll talking in a group.

"Shame on those who make up false stories of assault to try to get publicity for themselves, or sell a book, or carry out a political agenda -- like Julie Swetnick who falsely accused Justice Brett Kavanaugh," Trump said.

"It's just as bad for people to believe it, particularly when there is zero evidence. Worse still for a dying publication to try to prop itself up by peddling fake news -- it's an epidemic," he added.

Carroll claims that she encountered Trump in the fall of 1995 or spring 1996 at the Bergdorf Goodman department store, where she says he assaulted her in one of the dressing rooms.

According to Carroll's account, Trump sought her advice in buying a gift, and the two had met previously.

Carroll, who was 52 at the time, claims that while gift shopping, Trump pressured her to try on lingerie and grabbed her arm to pull her toward the dressing room.

But, the President, in his denial, also implied that Democrats could be involved in Carroll's "false accusations" but did not offer any details as to how.

"If anyone has information that the Democratic Party is working with Ms. Carroll or New York Magazine, please notify us as soon as possible," Trump said in the statement.

"The world should know what's really going on. It is a disgrace and people should pay dearly for such false accusations," the statement read.

In the excerpts published on Friday, Carroll said that she did not report the alleged incident to the police, but confided in two close friends who further confirmed their accounts to the New York Magazine.