In the rape case against Donald Trump, writer E. Jean Carroll gave extensive testimony against the former president on Wednesday afternoon. The assault would have deeply traumatized her.
The 79-year-old writer accuses Trump, three years his junior, of rape in the fitting room of a luxury department store in the 1990s and of defamation. Carroll described the episode at length in the Manhattan courtroom. According to Carroll, Trump groped and penetrated her against her will. “I pushed him back,” she said, adding, “I was almost too scared to think.”
Carroll is seeking compensation for the psychological distress allegedly inflicted on her. Carroll told the jury that Trump shattered her reputation by calling her a liar. She says she has kept the rape secret for decades for fear that Trump would destroy her. Trump has always denied assaulting or slandering Carroll.
A lawyer for Carroll reminded courtroom attendees of an infamous leaked video from 2005 of Trump disparagingly about women in conversation. The then 59-year-old Trump said that as a star you can do whatever you want with women. His literal words: “grab them by the pussy”.
Because Carroll suffered significant trauma from the alleged rape, she has not slept with a man since, she testified. “Basically, because Donald Trump raped me. When I meet a man who could be a potential mate, it’s impossible for me to even look at him and smile,” Carroll said.
Trump is not required to be present at the trial and is not. Carroll’s lawyers have no plans to summon the former president. The case has no legal impact on Trump’s intention to be elected president for a second time next year, but it could damage his reputation.
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