During the second day of the civil defamation trial, Donald Trump’s lawyers accused E Jean Carroll of seeking attention, while she expressed that her reputation had been severely damaged since she accused him of sexual assault in the 1990s.
The courtroom was filled with heated exchanges, including one instance where the judge threatened to remove Mr. Trump from the proceedings after he was overheard criticizing the testimony. Although a jury previously found Mr. Trump liable for sexually abusing Ms. Carroll and awarded her $5 million, he continues to deny the allegations.
This current trial focuses on different defamatory remarks made by Mr. Trump in 2019, while he was still the president, and will determine additional damages. However, much of Wednesday’s proceedings were characterized by confrontations between Mr. Trump and the judge, with the judge warning that Mr. Trump’s presence could be forfeited if he continued to disrupt the trial and disregard court orders.
The frustration between the two was evident, as the judge expressed his hope that he wouldn’t have to exclude Mr. Trump from the trial, to which the former president responded with a sarcastic remark about the judge’s inability to control himself in such circumstances.
Throughout his extensive history of launching verbal attacks and engaging in political warfare, Mr. Trump has rarely been confronted by the individuals he targets.
However, on Wednesday, he was compelled to remain silent as Ms. Carroll testified in court about how he had tarnished her reputation. In 2019, she accused Mr. Trump of sexually assaulting her after a chance encounter many years ago at the upscale Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan.
Ms. Carroll, who is now 80 years old, boldly stated, “I am here because Donald Trump assaulted me, and when I wrote about it, he said it never happened.
He lied, and it shattered my reputation.” Having dedicated five decades to her career as a journalist, she expressed her distress at now being labeled a liar, a fraud, and a lunatic. Determined to restore her reputation and put an end to his false statements about her, she appeared in court.
Ms. Carroll’s lawyers presented a series of death threats, rape threats, and insults that she has received since coming forward with her allegations.
These messages, she claimed, have left her in a state of fear. One particularly disturbing message instructed her to “stick a gun in your mouth and pull the trigger,” while another referred to her as a “Satan-worshipping Nazi.” In response to concerns about her safety, Ms. Carroll explained that she felt secure near Trump Tower in Manhattan due to the significant police presence.
Throughout the proceedings, Mr. Trump, seated two rows behind with his legal team, attentively listened, occasionally shaking his head while gazing at Ms. Carroll. During cross-examination, his lawyers launched an aggressive attack. Mr. Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, attempted to argue that Ms. Carroll sought fame, pointing to her numerous television and podcast appearances discussing her book and the allegations.
Ms. Carroll acknowledged that she had already received enough publicity and expressed her dislike for mentioning Mr. Trump’s name, although interviewers often brought it up.
