Donald Trump verdict: E Jean Carroll ‘overwhelmed with joy’ after jury finds former president sexually abused her
E Jean Carroll has said she is “overwhelmed with joy” for women across America after former president Donald Trump was found liable for sexually abusing and defaming her.
In an interview with NBC News’ Savannah Guthrie on the Today show, the 79-year-old said the court win was not about the millions she was awarded in damages, but securing a victory for all women.
“I am overwhelmed with joy and happiness and delight for the women in this country,” she said.
“This is not about the money. This is about getting my name back,” Carroll added.
The former US president was also found to have defamed Ms Carroll, but the civil trial rejected her claim she was raped during the encounter.
Trump, who is campaigning for the 2024 presidency, must pay the former Elle magazine advice columnist $5m (£4m) in damages.
He has consistently denied Carroll’s claims.
“I have absolutely no idea who this woman is. This verdict is a disgrace – a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time!” he wrote on his social media site, Truth Social, after the verdicts were handed down.
A Trump campaign spokesman said in a statement Tuesday: “This case will be appealed, and we will ultimately win.”
On what she would say to Mr Trump given the opportunity, Ms Carroll said she approached his lawyer, Joe Tacopina, at the conclusion of the case and let him know.
“Tacopina put out his hand and I said, ‘He did it and you know it.’ So I got my chance,” she recalled.
E Jean Carroll leaving Manhattan Federal Court following the verdict
Ms Carroll was alongside her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, who said she was confident that her client will collect the damages from Mr Trump and that his team has no grounds for an appeal.
“I’ve rarely felt more confident about an appeal as I do about this one,” she said.
Ms Carroll claimed she bumped into Trump in a department store in Manhattan in 1995 or 1996 and that he ended up raping her in a changing room.
She also said he defamed her by claiming she made up the story.
The nine-person jury deliberated for just under three hours before finding him guilty on Tuesday.
Ms Kaplan said there was “no question” the jury was sending a clear message by awarding multimillion-dollar damages and reaching a verdict in a matter of hours.
In addition, Ms Carroll said that Trump’s refusal to testify had helped. “He didn’t even bother to show up,” she added.
Donald Trump has since responded to the verdict
Trump’s deposition, in which he was asked about the “Access Hollywood” tape that surfaced before the 2016 presidential election, also helped secure the victory, Ms Kaplan said.
Asked during the deposition about his remarks in the tape, Trump said, “Well, historically, that’s true with stars.”
“True with stars that they can grab women by their privates?” Ms Kaplan asked.
“Well, that’s what – if you look over the last million years, I guess that’s been largely true. Not always, but largely true. Unfortunately or fortunately,” the former president responded.
Ms Kaplan also said in her Today interview that this was an important moment. “Fortunately? Who uses the word fortunately to talk about sexual assault?” she asked.
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Ms Carroll recalled the toll the case has taken on her for more than 30 years.
“Before yesterday, there was a concept of the perfect victim, who always screams, always reports to the police, always makes notes of when it happened, and their life folds up and they’re never supposed to be happy,” she said.
“Yesterday we demolished that concept, it is gone. It’s not so much about me, it’s about every woman.”
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Trump: ‘The most dangerous man I’ve ever met’
Reflecting on Trump’s repeated claim that he has no idea who she is, Ms Carroll noted that among the many legal issues the former president may face: “What happened yesterday is one… little blonde, wily, female attorney and one 79-year-old advice columnist beat Donald Trump in court.”
Mr Trump has promised to appeal on his Truth Social site, calling the outcome “a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time”.
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…”
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.
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.
US
Donald Trump plans to hit Canada with new tariff – while warning of blanket hike for other countries
Donald Trump has said he plans to hit Canada with a 35% tariff on imported goods, as he warned of a blanket 15 or 20% hike for most other countries.
In a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the US president wrote: “I must mention that the flow of Fentanyl is hardly the only challenge we have with Canada, which has many Tariff, and Non-Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers.”
Mr Trump’s tariffs were allegedly an effort to get Canada to crack down on fentanyl smuggling, and the US president has expressed frustration with Canada’s trade deficit with the US.
In a statement Mr Carney said: “Throughout the current trade negotiations with the United States, the Canadian government has steadfastly defended our workers and businesses. We will continue to do so as we work towards the revised deadline of August 1.”
He added: “Canada has made vital progress to stop the scourge of fentanyl in North America. We are committed to continuing to work with the United States to save lives and protect communities in both our countries.”
Mr Trump has sent a series of tariff letters to 23 countries so far, including one putting a 50% tariff on Brazil in part for the ongoing trial of its former president Jair Bolsonaro for trying to stay in office after he lost the election in 2022.
Mr Trump was similarly indicted for his efforts to overturn his election loss in 2020.
The higher rates would go into effect on 1 August.
Shortly after Mr Trump unveiled his “Liberation Day” tariffs on 2 April, there was a huge sell-off on the financial markets. The US president later announced a 90-day negotiating period, during which a 10% baseline tariff would be charged on most imported goods.
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But in an interview with Sky News’s partner network NBC News, Mr Trump said he plans to impose higher blanket tariffs on most US trade partners.
“We’re just going to say all of the remaining countries are going to pay, whether it’s 20% or 15%. We’ll work that out now,” he said.
He added: “I think the tariffs have been very well-received. The stock market hit a new high today.”
The US and UK signed a trade deal in June, with the US president calling it “a fair deal for both” and saying it will “produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income”.
Sir Keir Starmer said the document “implements” the deal to cut tariffs on cars and aerospace, adding: “So this is a very good day for both of our countries – a real sign of strength.”
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The US president also teased a “major statement” he will make on Russia over its war with Ukraine.
“I’m disappointed in Russia, but we’ll see what happens over the next couple of weeks,” he said.
“I think I’ll have a major statement to make on Russia on Monday.”
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It comes as Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said a new round of talks between Moscow and Washington on bilateral problems could take place before the end of the summer.
A Palestinian activist who was detained for over three months in a US immigration jail after protesting against Israel is suing Donald Trump’s administration for $20m (£15m) in damages.
Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil have filed a claim against the administration alleging he was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite as the government sought to deport him over his role in campus protests.
The 30-year-old graduate student at Columbia University told Sky News’s lead world presenter Yalda Hakim being detained by ICE agents in March “felt like kidnapping”.
He described “plain-clothed agents and unmarked cars” taking him “from one place to another, expecting you just to follow orders and shackled all the time”, which he said was “really scary”.
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Mahmoud Khalil reunites with family after release
Mr Khalil said he was not presented with an arrest warrant and wasn’t told where he was being taken.
He said the detention centre he was taken to was “as far from humane as it could be” and “a place where you have no rights whatsoever”.
“You share a dorm with over 70 men with no privacy, with lights on all the time, with really terrible food. You’re basically being dehumanised at every opportunity. It’s a black hole,” he added.
Mr Khalil said he would also accept an official apology from the Trump administration.
The Trump administration celebrated Mr Khalil’s arrest, promising to deport him and others whose protests against Israel it declared were “pro-terrorist, antisemitic, anti-American activity”.
Mr Khalil said after around 36 hours in captivity he was allowed to speak to his wife, who was pregnant at the time.
“These were very scary hours, I did not know what was happening on the outside. I did not know that my wife was safe,” he said.
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‘Absolutely absurd allegations’
Mr Khalil said administration officials had made “absolutely absurd allegations” by saying he as involved in antisemitic activities and supporting Hamas.
“They are weaponising antisemitism, weaponising anti-terrorism in order to stifle speech,” he said. “What I was engaged in is simply opposing a genocide, opposing war crimes, opposing Columbia University’s complicity in the war on Gaza.”
A State Department spokesperson said its actions toward Mr Khalil were fully supported by the law.
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Asked about missing the birth of his son while he was in prison, Mr Khalil said: “I don’t think there’s any word that can describe the agony and the sadness that I went through, to be deprived from such a divine moment, from a moment that my wife and I had always dreamed about.”
Meanwhile, the deportation case against Mr Khalil is continuing to wind its way through the immigration court system.
Donald Trump has praised the Liberian president’s command of English – the West African country’s official language.
The US president reacted with visible surprise to Joseph Boakai’s English-speaking skills during a White House meeting with leaders from the region on Wednesday.
After the Liberian president finished his brief remarks, Mr Trump told him he speaks “such good English” and asked: “Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?”
Mr Trump seemed surprised when Mr Boakai laughed and responded he learned in Liberia.
The US president said: “It’s beautiful English.
“I have people at this table who can’t speak nearly as well.”
Mr Boakai did not tell Mr Trump that English is the official language of Liberia.
The country was founded in 1822 with the aim of relocating freed African slaves and freeborn black citizens from the US.
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Mr Trump promised the leaders of Liberia, Senegal, Gabon, Mauritania and Guinea-Bissau a pivot from aid to trade at the surprise meeting.
He described the countries as “all very vibrant places with very valuable land, great minerals, and great oil deposits, and wonderful people”.
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Later asked by a reporter if he’ll visit the continent, Mr Trump said, “At some point, I would like to go to Africa.”
But he added that he’d “have to see what the schedule looks like”.
Trump’s predecessor, President Joe Biden, promised to go to Africa in 2023, but only fulfilled the commitment by visiting Angola in December 2024, just weeks before he left office.
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