Arizona GOP event canceled due to Trump court appearance

An event hosted by the Arizona Republican Party that invited former President Trump. was canceled after closing arguments began in a defamation lawsuit in which advice columnist E. Jean Carroll sexually assaulted her, according to jurors in an earlier trial.

“Unfortunately, AZGOP Freedom Fest 2024 has been canceled due to President @realDonaldTrump's court obligations.” Parties posted on Xthe platform formerly known as Twitter.

Trump has spent the past few days in court in a defamation case filed by Carroll. The trial comes months after Trump was convicted of sexual assault after she accused him in 2019 of raping her in the 1990s.

AZ GOP Freedom Fest was scheduled to be held in Phoenix on Friday night. Closing arguments in the trial are scheduled for Friday morning in a New York courtroom, but President Trump is not required to attend.

“We support him during this time and eagerly look forward to welcoming him to Arizona in the near future,” the Arizona Republican Party posted. “Those who purchased tickets will receive a full refund.”

Arizona Republican Party Chairman Jeff DeWitt resigned on Wednesday after audio leaked that appeared to show him trying to pay avid Trump supporter Kali Lake not to run for Senate. Then he announced.party hosts that party annual meeting Saturday.

In court Thursday, Trump gave brief, intense testimony. His testimony comes at a critical juncture in the case, as Carroll seeks to avoid paying the $10 million in damages he has sought to deny the charges.

Last week, the federal judge overseeing the case, U.S. District Judge Louis A. Kaplan, threatened to remove Trump from the courtroom, citing his “disruptive” behavior.

Trump, a front-runner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, has been accused of using various court appearances in recent months to campaign for re-election.

Arizona is one of the few states that helped decide the 2020 presidential election. In 2020, Trump lost the state to President Biden by less than 11,000 votes. Mr. Trump currently leads Mr. Biden in the Grand Canyon State by 6.8 percentage points, according to pollsters at The Hill/Decision Desk headquarters.