Trump attacks ‘biased’ judge and will appeal after jury finds he sexually abused writer E Jean Carroll in changing room
Donald Trump has promised to appeal and called it a “disgrace” after a jury found him liable for sexually abusing a writer in the 1990s.
The former US president was also found to have defamed E Jean Carroll, but the civil trial rejected her claim she was raped during the encounter.
Trump must pay the former Elle magazine advice columnist $5m (£4m) in damages.
Ms Carroll, 79, said they ran into each other in a department store in Manhattan in 1995 or 1996 and that Trump ended up raping her in a changing room.
She also said he defamed her by claiming she made up the story.
Trump lashed out on his Truth Social site, calling the outcome “a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time” and a “disgrace”.
He claimed the judge was biased and made sure “the result was as negative as it could possibly be, speaking to, and in control of a jury from an anti-Trump area…”
The nine-person jury deliberated for just under three hours before finding him guilty on Tuesday.
Following the verdict, Ms Carroll said she sued Trump to “get my life back” and that “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,” she said.
E Jean Carroll leaving Manhattan Federal Court
She testified that the attack happened after a chance encounter with Trump at the Bergdorf Goodman store across the street from Trump Tower.
She said it started as a light-hearted interaction in which they teased each other about trying a piece of lingerie, before Trump became violent inside a dressing room.
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Trump – who did not attend the trial and waived his right to testify or present a defence – has insisted he never sexually assaulted Ms Carroll or ever knew her.
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Trump’s lawyer confirms appeal
The 76-year-old, who is hoping to retake the White House in 2024, will not have to pay the compensation as long as the case is on appeal.
Ms Carroll told jurors that Trump had “shattered” her reputation.
Her defamation claim was based on an October 2022 post on Truth Social in which he called her allegations a “complete con job” and “a hoax and a lie”.
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Former aide says the charge would have ‘stung a lot’
‘No one is above the law’
As it was a civil case, Trump faces no criminal consequences – but his former aide Sean Spicer said the rape allegation would still be damaging.
“It’s never a good thing to have a verdict against you… especially of this nature,” he said.
Mr Spicer said “optics do matter in politics, but I think if you were president Trump right now… the charge of rape would have stung a lot”.
Ms Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, said the verdict was also a victory “for democracy itself and for all survivors everywhere”.
“No one is above the law, not even a former president of the United States,” she added.
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Moment Trump confuses rape accuser with ex-wife
During the seven-day trial, jurors were also shown a deposition by Trump confusing Ms Carroll for his ex-wife Marla Maples in a photograph – which her lawyers said undermined his argument that she was not his type.
Trump’s lawyers previously said Ms Carroll had “abused the system” for “money, status and political reasons”.
Speaking outside the court, Trump’s lawyer Joe Tacopina said it was an “inconsistent verdict” but he was happy Trump “was not branded a rapist”.
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“For me it’s about the results,” he said.
“While it was strange, part of me was obviously very happy that Donald Trump was not branded a rapist. I didn’t think there should be any liability findings so we’ll pursue that.”
The United States and European Union have agreed a trade deal, says Donald Trump.
The announcement was made as the US president met European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen at one of his golf resorts in Scotland.
Speaking after talks in Turnberry, Mr Trump said the EU deal was the “biggest deal ever made” and it will be “great for cars”.
The US will impose 15% tariffs on EU goods into America, after Mr Trump had threatened a 30% levy.
He said there will be an EU investment of $600bn in the US, the bloc will buy $750bn in US energy and will also purchase US military equipment.
Mr Trump had earlier said the main sticking point was “fairness”, citing barriers to US exports of cars and agriculture.
He went into the talks demanding fairer trade with the 27-member EU and threatening steep tariffs to achieve that, while insisting the US will not go below 15% import taxes.
For months, Mr Trump has threatened most of the world with large tariffs in the hope of shrinking major US trade deficits with many key trading partners, including the EU.
Ms von der Leyen said the agreement would include 15% tariffs across the board, saying it would help rebalance trade between the two large trading partners.
In case there was no deal and the US had imposed 30% tariffs from 1 August, the EU has prepared counter-tariffs on €93bn (£81bn) of US goods.
Ahead of their meeting on Sunday, Ms von der Leyen described Mr Trump as a “tough negotiator and dealmaker”.
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At least 11 people have been stabbed at a Walmart supermarket in Michigan, with six in a critical condition.
Officials say a suspect is in custody – and at this stage, it is believed the attack was a “random act” that involved a folding-style knife near the checkout area.
Sheriff Michael Shea told reporters: “Eleven is 11 too many, but thank God it wasn’t more.”
Pic: AP
The suspect, who is from Michigan, is not known to police – and was captured within three minutes thanks to “citizen involvement”.
The attack unfolded in Traverse City – and Tiffany DeFell, who was in the car park at the time, described scenes of chaos.
“It was really scary. Me and my sister were just freaking out,” she said. “This is something you see out of the movies.”
Beyond the six people in a critical condition, it is believed the remaining five were seriously hurt. All 11 are still being treated in hospital.
Pic: AP
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said: “Our thoughts are with the victims and the community reeling from this brutal act of violence.”
A Walmart spokesperson added that the retailer is working closely with law enforcement.
“Violence like this is unacceptable. Our thoughts are with those who were injured and we’re thankful for the swift action of first responders,” a statement said.
Pic: AP
At this stage, the ages of the victims is unclear – but it is not thought any of the victims were Walmart employees.
Traverse City is about 255 miles northwest of Detroit.
A US passenger plane made a dramatic plunge minutes after take-off to dodge another aircraft – injuring two cabin crew and causing passengers to shoot out of their seats.
The Southwest flight had just taken off from Burbank in California when the pilot received an alert about a nearby plane.
Data from FlightAware shows the aircraft dropped by 91m (300ft) in just 36 seconds. Those on board said they felt panicked, and some feared the plane was about to crash.
Comedian Jimmy Dore posted on X: “Pilot had to dive aggressively to avoid mid-air collision … myself and plenty of people flew out of their seats and bumped heads on ceiling, a flight attendant needed medical attention.”
Stef Zambrano saw a woman who wasn’t wearing her seatbelt thrown out of her seat, who then said: “I want to get off this plane. I want to be on the ground.”
Another passenger, Steve Ulasewicz, told NBC Los Angeles that it felt like the plane was in freefall for 10 seconds.
“People were screaming. You know, it was pandemonium. People thought the plane was going down,” he added.
The aircraft was able to continue to its destination of Las Vegas, where it safely landed without any further incident.
It is believed the Boeing 737 was in the same vicinity as a Hawker Hunter Mk. 58, a British fighter jet.
Southwest is now working with the Federal Aviation Administration “to further understand the circumstances” of the event.
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January: Footage of Washington plane crash
This is the second time in a week that a passenger plane has had to make abrupt flight manoeuvres to avoid a potential mid-air collision.
Concerns have been raised about aviation safety in the US following a series of recent incidents.
In January, a mid-air collision in Washington DC killed 67 people.
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