Donald Trump threw his hands in the air and said he would “be happy” if a judge threw him out of the courtroom for loudly ripping off sexual abuse accuser E. Jean Carroll, who testified Wednesday in a New York libel trial. So,” he said.
Lawyers for the “Ask E. Gene” advice columnist have twice accused the former president of providing commentary to his team within earshot of jurors, including calling Carroll's testimony “false.” “It looks like she's finally regained her memory now,'' she wrote indignantly.''
Manhattan federal judge Louis Kaplan issued the warning to Trump, 77, after first warning him to “lower his voice” when speaking to his lawyers. .
“Mr. Trump, I don't think I should consider removing you from the trial. I understand that you would very much like me to do that,” Kaplan said.
“That's great. I'd love to do that,” Trump mocked, interrupting the judge with a theatrical gesture with his hands.
“I understand that you want to. You just can't seem to control yourself in this situation,” the judge said.
“Neither can you,” Trump retorted.
Carroll, who is seeking $10 million in damages from Trump, was the first witness to testify in her case against the real estate mogul and faced Trump for the first time in court.
The Republican presidential candidate returned to the lower Manhattan courthouse Wednesday morning, fresh from a 2024 campaign event in New Hampshire, after attending jury selection and opening statements the day before.
A strange red mark was seen on his right hand as he waved as he left Trump Tower, but by the time he reached the courtroom the mark had mysteriously disappeared.
During a break in earlier testimony as jurors left the room, Carroll's attorney Sean Crowley told Kaplan that President Trump was “saying something loudly” that could be heard by the jury. he said.
“I intend to ask Mr. Trump to take special care to keep his voice low during his meetings with his lawyers so that they are not overheard by the jury,” the judge said.
But Mr. Crowley brought up the issue again before the lunch break, claiming that Mr. Trump did not follow Mr. Kaplan's instructions and was still tweeting loudly during Mr. Carroll's testimony.
“He said this was a witch hunt, but in reality it was the work of con artists,” Crowley claimed.
In June 2019, Carroll went public with accusations that Trump sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman fitting room in 1996.
She sued Trump for defamation after he denied knowing her and said she was not his “type” in a statement to reporters from the White House.
In May, a jury in another case found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and ordered him to pay $5 million in damages.
“I'm here because Donald Trump assaulted me and when asked about it, he denied it,” the 80-year-old writer said Wednesday as he began testifying in the current lawsuit. Ta.
Trump, in his usual navy suit, white shirt and red tie, glared at his accuser from just a few feet away and said, “I want to restore my honor and stop him from lying about me.'' I’m here,” he continued.
Carroll said Trump's lies destroyed her reputation as a trusted advice columnist and “ended the world” in which she lived.
“Now I'm known as a liar, a cheater, and a bad worker,” she said.
“To have the President of the United States, one of the most powerful people on the planet, call me a liar for three days and call me a liar 26 times, by my count, is a world in which I live. It means we've put an end to it,''' Carroll said.
Before Trump's comments, Carroll said she received about 200 emails a month asking for relationship advice, but after Trump's comments, that number dropped to just eight a month.
After the 45th president's remarks, Carroll said she received terrifying death threats and messages from online trolls.
She recalled being in her hotel room when she received the first death threat on June 21, 2019. That same day, President Trump publicly denied her claims.
“I thought I was going to get shot,” Carroll said of her panic attack that day as she struggled to close the curtains in her hotel room.
Jurors were shown about a dozen hateful messages received by the New York journalist, including one that said “I hope he dies quickly” and others that he was “executed” or “shot to death”. It also included things that should be done.
Carol said she still lives in fear, even looking over her shoulder as she puts her car in the garage after buying groceries.
And to this day, she receives “hundreds of hateful messages every day.”
When Trump said he was “not my type,” Carroll said he really meant, “I'm too ugly to attack.” She said her emotions made it difficult to wake up in the morning.
“I know I'm old. I know I'm 80 years old,” Carroll said. She said: “I know I'm not that young of a woman, but it makes it hard to get through the day.''
