A woman found by a jury to have been sexually abused by Donald Trump has declared “the world finally knows the truth” after the former US President was told to pay $5 million in damages and left counting the political cost of his legal defeat.
E Jean Carroll, 79, sued Mr Trump over an encounter in the mid 1990s at the luxury Manhattan department store Bergdorf Goodman, and also accused him of defamation for branding her allegations an “complete con job,” “a hoax” and “a lie.”
Following a civil trial, a jury concluded that Mr Trump had sexually assaulted Ms Carroll but not raped her, in a verdict that could have serious ramifications for his 2024 White House bid.
In a statement after the verdict, Ms Carroll, a well-known magazine advice columnist, thanked her supporters and hailed her legal team who “never, ever backed down in pursuit of truth and justice”.
“I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back”, she said.
“Today, the world finally knows the truth. This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed.”
The jury deliberated for just under three hours before finding Mr Trump liable for battery. He was also found liable for defamation in the October 2022 comments about Ms Carroll on his Truth Social online platform.
Addressing supporters after the verdict, Mr Trump wrote: “I have absolutely no idea who this woman is.
“The verdict is a disgrace – a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time!”
His lawyer, Joe Tacopina, told reporters outside the courthouse the former US President plans to mount an appeal against the “inconsistent verdict”.“While it was strange, part of me was obviously very happy that Donald Trump was not branded a rapist”, he said. “I didn’t think there should be any liability findings so we’ll pursue that.”
He also tackled questions about Mr Trump’s decision to shun the civil trial and not give live evidence in his defence.
“This was a circus atmosphere and having him be here would be more of a circus”, he said.Mr Tacopina pointed to Trump’s denials in a video deposition played to the jury, adding: “What more could he say than I didn’t do it?”
Mr Trump is the frontrunner to be the Republican candidate in next year’s Presidential election, and US political analysts believe the trial verdict is unlikely to significantly affect his core support.
However Republican senators spoke out to question Trump’s ability to appeal to voters beyond his base.
“It has a cumulative effect”, said South Dakota Senator John Thune. “People are going to have to decide if they want to deal with all the drama.”
“I don’t think he can get elected”, added Senator John Cornyn, an attorney and Republican representative for Texas. “You can’t win a general election with just your base.”
Sean Spicer, Mr Trump’s director of communications during his term as President, said “optics do matter in politics” and contended the rape allegation “would have stung a lot” - even though Trump was cleared of that allegation.
“It’s never a good thing to have a verdict against you...especially of this nature”, he added.
Ms Carroll first accused Trump of abuse in a 2019 memoir, saying it happened on a shopping trip to Bergdorf Goodman – a department store close to Trump Tower in Manhattan.
She said they had been joking about lingerie when Mr Trump became aggressive in the changing room area.
In support of her case, Ms Carroll called evidence from two other women who say they are victims of sexual abuse by Mr Trump.
Jessica Leeds told the court she was groped by Mr Trump in the late 1970s as they sat together in first class on a plane.
The 81-year-old from North Carolina told jurors Mr Trump grabbed her chest and ran his hand up her skirt before she was able to wriggle free and escape to a different seat on the New York City-bound jet.
“There was no conversation. It was like out of the blue”, she said. “It was like he had 40 zillion hands.”
People magazine writer Natasha Stoynoff said Trump kissed her forcibly in 2005 at his Mar-a-Lago resort, during an interview to mark his first anniversary with wife Melania.
Mr Trump – who denies all claims of sexual misconduct - was also questioned in his video deposition about the infamous Access Hollywood tape when he was recorded talking about kissing and touching women without their consent.
“I’m automatically attracted to beautiful women”, he is heard saying. “I just start kissing them – it’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait.”
He adds: “And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the p***y.”
Quizzed on the remark, Mr Trump replied “Well, historically, that’s true with stars” and said he considered himself a “star”.
As the fallout from the trial continues, Trump is set to appear in a CNN town hall debate as he pushed forward his Presidential campaign.
Analysts noted that Mr Trump’s polling numbers went up last month when he was charged with allegedly falsifying business records over “hush money” paid to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
“The folks that are anti-Trump are going to remain that way, the core pro-Trump voters are not going to change, and the ambivalent ones I just don’t think are going to be moved by this type of thing”, said Charlie Gerow, a Republican strategist in Pennsylvania.
The Manhattan jury of six men and three women awarded Ms Carroll $2 million in compensatory damages and $20,000 in punitive damages for her battery claim, and $2.7 million in compensatory and $280,000 in punitive damages for her defamation claim.
However Mr Trump will not have to pay anything while an appeal is still pending, potentially delaying a final conclusion to the case until after next year’s election.
