Donald Trump calls sex accuser a ‘wack job’ – and refuses to say who he wants to win Ukraine war
Donald Trump called the woman he sexually abused a lying “wack job” and refused to say who he wants to win the Ukraine war in a wide-ranging interview on US television.
A jury in a civil case ruled this week that he assaulted – but didn’t rape – E Jean Carroll in a department store changing room in the 1990s.
In an interview a day after the verdict, Mr Trump again insisted it was “fake story” and mocked the magazine writer’s version of events.
“What kind of a woman meets somebody and brings them up and within minutes, you’re playing hanky panky in a dressing room?” he said.
He also doubled down on his claim that the “Clinton-appointed” judge was biased and didn’t treat him fairly.
Mr Trump was ordered to pay $5m (£4m) compensation to Ms Carroll, which also includes damages for defaming her after he claimed she made up the story.
His lawyer has confirmed they will appeal, and he won’t face a prison sentence either way because it wasn’t a criminal case.
Asked by the CNN interviewer if the verdict would deter women from voting for him, he replied: “No, I don’t think so.”
The ex-president was also questioned about infamous remarks during a TV show in 2005, in which he talked about grabbing women “by the p****”.
The comments also came up in the trial, and in the ‘town hall’ programme on Wednesday night he declined to apologise for them.
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Trump accuser: ‘This is about getting my name back’
The 76-year-old said he wasn’t talking about himself, but generally about the power that comes with being a celebrity.
“They said ‘will you take that back?’ I said, look, for a million years this is the way it’s been. I want to be honest this is the way it’s been,” he told CNN.
Many women have accused the former president of sexual assault or harassment over the years but he denies all the claims.
Read more: America is a place where there’s now an ‘immunity to the unacceptable’
Ukraine war ‘over in 24 hours’
Mr Trump was also questioned about the Ukraine war – and made bold claims about his peace-making abilities.
“If I’m president, I will have that war settled in one day, 24 hours,” he said, adding that he would meet with both President Putin and President Zelenskyy.
“They both have weaknesses and they both have strengths and within 24 hours that war will be settled. It’ll be over, it’ll be absolutely over,” said Mr Trump.
He said Putin had made a “mistake” invading Ukraine and that it wouldn’t have happened if he were still in power.
However, he declined to say whether he thinks the Russian leader is a war criminal.
“If you say he’s a war criminal it’s going to be a lot tougher to make a deal to make this thing stopped,” he told the audience in New Hampshire.
“If he’s going to be a war criminal, people are going to grab him and execute him, he’s going to fight a lot harder than he’s fighting under the other circumstance.
“That’s something to be discussed at a later day.”
The International Criminal Court issued a warrant for Putin’s arrest earlier this year in a move decried by Moscow.
Trump said he would likely pardon many Capitol rioters if he wins power again. Pic: AP
Mr Trump also refused to say who he wants to win the war, despite being asked three times.
“I don’t think in terms of winning and losing. I think in terms of getting it settled so we stop killing all these people,” he said.
“Russians and Ukrainians, I want them to stop dying,” he added. “And I’ll have that done in 24 hours.
The interview also touched on the invasion of the US Capitol by his supporters in 2021 – shocking scenes that erupted after he made false claims of election fraud.
He told host Kaitlan Collins he was likely to pardon many of the rioters if he beats Joe Biden and wins re-election next year.
“I am inclined to pardon many of them. I can’t say for every single one because a couple of them probably they got out of control,” Mr Trump said.
A senior US senator who supports Donald Trump has told Sky News why he believes the US would be right to intervene in Iran.
Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas who ran against Mr Trump in 2016 but now backs him, told US correspondent David Blevins that Iran is an “acute threat to the national security of the US”.
He went on to claim that because “Iran is also building ICBMs (intercontinental ballistc missiles)” and “You don’t need an ICBM to go to Israel”, it indicated Iran’s intention “to take a nuclear weapon to the United States to murder Americans”.
“Nobody is talking about invading Iran,” Mr Cruz added. “We’re not going to see boots on the ground.”
Middle East latest: Trump says he ‘may or may not’ strike Iran
It comes after the US president said he “may do it, I may not do it” when asked if he would launch a strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.
So far, Israel has been attacking Iran alone since it ramped up its military action last Friday, launching strikes against what it says are Tehran’s facilities for developing a nuclear weapon and also destroying its air defences.
Iran has always denied seeking the ability to make a nuclear weapon from its uranium enrichment programme.
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Blevins’s fellow US correspondent Mark Stone says that while figures like Mr Cruz back military action, “a whole host of other figures are saying ‘do not do it'”.
“The social media space is absolutely full of MAGA [Make America Great Again] figures from the right… saying ‘we absolutely must not go into Iran’.”
If the US were to decide to take military action against Iran, it could have implications for the UK, as America may ask to station refuelling aircraft at a British base in Cyprus and B-2 bombers, which could carry the bunker buster bombs required to attack Iran’s Fordow nuclear enrichment facility, could launch from the British base of Diego Garcia.
Mr Cruz told Sky News that while many of Mr Trump’s support base did not want to see the US involve itself in another war, “the overwhelming majority of Americans, nearly 80%, support President Trump, and support President Trump defending us against an Iranian nuclear weapon.”
America is deploying more fighter planes to the Middle East in a “demonstration of force” as tensions escalate and speculation about a possible US strike on Iran continues.
Pictures and flight tracking data show F-35 jets and tanker aircraft being moved towards the region, as well as the tasking of an aircraft carrier, providing options in case President Donald Trump decides to intervene in the conflict.
But one particular aircraft that has not been seen just yet – the B-2 stealth bomber – could reveal the most about America’s intentions towards Iran…
Why is America moving more aircraft to the Middle East?
“It’s giving them options,” says military analyst Michael Clarke. “They have got four types of aircraft – including fighters, interceptors and fighter-bombers – all in the right region.”
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Clarke: What could US involvement look like as Iran attacks ease
The new arrivals can be spread around several existing military bases that the US has in the region in Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
“More is better and also it’s a demonstration of force,” Prof Clarke added. “There’s a political element behind it, to show the Iranians what they can do, but also to other allies.
“The Americans want to be taken seriously in all of this.”
A Boeing KC-46A Pegasus, primarily used for aerial refueling, is seen on tracking in the eastern Mediterranean. Pic: Flightradar24
Analysis: What aircraft have moved to the region?
Sky News analysis of flight-tracking data shows more than 30 US military planes have been active over parts of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea over the past three days.
These include planes used for reconnaissance, refuelling in mid-air as well as carrying cargo.
Map of US military bases in the Middle East
An air-traffic control recording from the US suggests F-22 Raptors are being sent across the Atlantic. Two refuelling tankers are visible on flight tracking data leaving the US east coast, likely escorting the stealth fighter jets.
In images taken by photographer Glenn Lockett in Suffolk, three US air tankers were seen flying over England, each accompanied by four F-35 jets.
F-35s are one of the most advanced warplanes in the world, known for their ability to evade enemy radar.
A US air tanker seen flying over England, accompanied by F-35 jets. Credit: Instagram/g.lockaviation
Flight tracking data shows that the tankers travelled to the Mediterranean and then returned to the UK.
Most of the US military planes tracked by Sky News regularly turn off their locations and final destinations, according to the data from Flightradar24.
Some of the planes moved from the US to Europe, while others appeared to move closer to the Middle East. At least five of the US military aircraft landed at Chania Airport on the Greek island of Crete.
An air-traffic control recording from the US also suggests F-22 Raptors are being sent across the Atlantic. Two refuelling tankers are visible on flight tracking data leaving the US east coast, likely escorting the stealth fighter jets.
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US insists deployments are defensive
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth stressed that the deployment of more aircraft was defensive in nature, as Washington looks to safeguard its forces in the region.
Fighter aircraft have been used to shoot down drones and projectiles in the past.
America already has a substantial force in the Middle East, with nearly 40,000 troops as well as air defence systems, aircraft and warships.
But as the conflict between Israel and Iran carries on – and President Trump continues to make threats against Tehran – it’s possible that multiple options could be on the table for intervention.
B-2 bombers – the ones to watch?
Asked what he’s looking out for as speculation about whether the US will intervene directly continues, Prof Clarke pointed to one particular aircraft that hasn’t been seen moving towards the region yet: The B-2 stealth bomber.
Known for its iconic triangle shape and ability to penetrate deep air defences undetected, the B-2 has lesser-known capability that could be crucial for any action over Iran: it can carry ‘bunker buster’ bombs.
So far Israel has not been able to damage Iran’s secretive Fordow uranium enrichment plant, which is buried deep beneath a mountain.
A B-2 stealth bomber flies over Washington DC during a 4 July celebration. File pic: AP
The only bomb believed to be powerful enough to penetrate the facility is America’s GBU-57, a 14-ton bomb that is so heavy it can only be launched from the US fleet of heavy bomber aircraft.
Any movement of B-2 bombers to the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean could “indicate the likelihood that the Americans are going to use bunker busters in Iran,” Prof Clarke says.
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