NEW YORK — Former president Donald Trump railed against a woman accusing him of raping her in a New York City department store three decades ago, calling her “mentally sick,” a “liar” — and insisting she later stated on TV that “rape was sexy,” according to testimony from a sworn deposition unsealed Friday.
Manhattan Federal Court Judge Lewis Kaplan unsealed portions of Trump’s deposition in E. Jean Carroll’s defamation lawsuit after categorically rejecting Trump’s arguments for keeping the October 2022 deposition under seal as “entirely baseless.”
At the heart of Carroll’s two lawsuits against Trump are allegations he raped her inside the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in the mid-1990s. Trump denies the incident.
In the newly unsealed papers, the ex-president alternately disparages the former advice columnist for Elle, her lawyer Roberta Kaplan, President Joe Biden, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and more. He appeared for the sit-down via remote from Mar-a-Lago.
The former president doubled down on his previous comments at the heart of the libel claims — calling Carroll a “wack job,” “nut job,” and “sick, mentally sick” — and threatened to sue her lawyer.
Carroll sued Trump for defamation in 2019 after he publicly called her a “liar” in response to rape allegations included in her memoir. In denying the assault, the then-president said Carroll was “not my type.”
“When I say she’s not my type, I say she is not a woman I would ever be attracted to. There is no reason for me to be attracted to her,” Trump testified in his deposition, adding he knew the statement was “politically incorrect.”
In one line of questioning about Carroll’s 2019 interview with CNN host Anderson Cooper, Kaplan tried to pull an answer out of Trump admitting he sexually assaulted Carroll.
“She actually indicated that she loved it. Okay?” Trump said of Carroll’s interview. “In fact, I think she said it was sexy, didn’t she? She said it was very sexy to be raped. Didn’t she say that?”
“So, sir, I just want to confirm: It’s your testimony that E. Jean Carroll said that she loved being sexually assaulted by you?” Kaplan asked.
“Well, based on her interview with Anderson Cooper, I believe that’s what took place,” Trump said. “I think she said that rape was sexy — which it’s not, by the way.”
During the interview, Carroll said, “I think most people think of rape as being sexy.” She later clarified that she thinks it’s a violent act and admitted, “I just have trouble with the word.”
On top of denying the rape accusations, Trump said he “can’t think of any complaints” when asked if he’s ever kissed a woman without her consent. Kaplan also asked the former president whether he’d ever touched a woman sexually without her consent.
“Well, I will tell you no, but you may have some people like your client that lie,” he replied.
The underlying lawsuit became log-jammed when Trump argued his comments about Carroll were protected because he made them while he was in the White House.
President Biden’s Justice Department has continued to defend that argument, saying federal employees should be protected from lawsuits. The matter is currently in the hands of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Carroll filed a second lawsuit in November after New York passed the Adult Survivors Act. The legislation gives victims of sexual assault one year to sue their alleged assailants regardless of how long ago the incident occurred.
When she announced the second suit, Trump lashed out on his social media platform Truth Social, again calling Carroll a liar. The post formed the basis for Carroll’s new defamation claim.
“Great statement, yeah. True. True,” Trump described the social media post in his October deposition.
“Did you talk to anyone before you wrote it? Did you talk to anyone about what to say in the statement?” Kaplan asked.
“No. I didn’t need to,” Trump responded. “I’m not Joe Biden.”
Trump’s deposition transcript cuts off when Carroll’s lawyer asks him if he knew the meaning of sexual harassment.
“Yeah, pretty much,” Trump said.
The release of the deposition came hours after Judge Kaplan rejected a request from Trump to dismiss the latest defamation suit and Carroll’s second lawsuit, which includes a rape claim.
The jurist described Trump’s ask as “absurd,” and upheld the legality of the Adult Survivors Act. Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba said she would appeal.
The case is set to go to trial in April.
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