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A judge threatened to expel Donald Trump from a New York defamation trial for loudly muttering complaints during the court testimony of E. Jean Carroll, who claims he raped her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s.
Carroll, the writer who last year won a separate sexual-abuse trial against Trump, seeks millions of dollars in damages, claiming her reputation was hurt when he ridiculed her 2019 allegation of sexual assault. The judge already held Trump liable for defamation, leaving it to a new jury trial to set damages.
While Carroll was on the stand testifying Wednesday, Trump was frequently agitated and could be heard making comments to his lawyers. That drew a warning from US District Judge Lewis Kaplan that the former president could be barred from the courtroom if he didn’t behave, prompting a sharp retort from Trump.
“Mr. Trump has the right to be present here, but that right can be forfeited if he is disruptive as what has been reported to me,” Kaplan said outside the presence of the jury. “Mr. Trump, I hope I don’t have to consider excluding you from the trial.”
Trump shook his head and threw his hands up in the air and retorted, “I would love that!”
Kaplan shot back, “I know you would like that. You just can’t control yourself.”
“You can’t either,” Trump said.
Carroll’s lawyer Shawn Crowley complained to Kaplan that Trump could be heard saying Carroll’s claims are false and sarcastically saying she had “finally gotten her memory back.” At one point Trump became highly agitated when Carroll said he claimed she’d “lied” at her trial. Crowley expressed concern that the former president’s comments could be heard by jurors and might influence them.
After Kaplan’s stern warning, Trump returned to court following the lunch break without further interruption.
‘Shattered’ Reputation
The trial, now in its second day, started less than 24 hours after Trump secured a sweeping victory in the Iowa Republican caucuses, the first contest of the primary season. The former president also faces four criminal prosecutions as he campaigns to return to the White House. On top of that, a judge in New York state’s $370 million civil fraud trial against him could issue a verdict at any time.
