Topline
Former President Donald went on yet another manic social media posting spree demeaning writer E. Jean Carroll overnight Thursday as her defamation trial against him is set to resume in Manhattan—where he is expected to take the stand.
E. Jean Carroll leaves Manhattan federal court in New York as her defamation suit against former … [+] president Donald Trump has been postponed after a juror and one of Trump’s lawyers reported feeling ill on January 22, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Key Facts
Trump posted more than 35 times about Carroll in a period of eight hours overnight Thursday, sharing various articles from conservative social media sites digging into her social media history and past interviews—hours before her defamation trial against him resumes in Manhattan.
The tirade comes as Trump is expected to testify Thursday before a jury deciding how much in damages he owes her for denying her sexual abuse claims against him, which a separate jury found him liable for in May last year, awarding her $5 million in damages.
Many of Trump’s posts were ones he has shared before, including alleged screenshots purporting to show the former longtime Elle columnist—who frequently wrote about sex—discussing the topic on her social media pages.
Trump quoted articles highlighting billionaire LinkedIn co-founder and Democratic mega donor Reid Hoffman’s role in funding her lawsuit, alleging the case is “a false accusation forced into the public eye by Democrat operatives,” referring to previous revelations that Carroll’s initial sexual abuse suit was funded by American Future Republic, a nonprofit Hoffman backs.
Trump also directed his ire at presiding Judge Lewis Kaplan, calling him “a 100% Trump Hater” who is “looking to do a number” on him.
Key Background
Trump is back in court after a three-day hiatus from the trial, which was postponed Monday when a juror and his lawyer Alina Habba told Judge Lewis Kaplan they had fallen ill. Trump is listed as one of two possible witnesses for the defense on Thursday. He is prohibited from saying anything to contest the previous jury’s decision that he sexually abused Carroll, but has indicated—both in his Truth Social posts overnight and in interviews with reporters—he will defy the judge’s orders and reiterate his previous claims to the jury that he does not know who Carroll is. Trump has clashed with Kaplan throughout the trial, which began on Jan. 16. As Carroll was testifying last week, the judge ordered Trump to “keep his voice down” as he spoke to his lawyer while she was on the stand, threatening to remove him from the courtroom. “I would love it,” Trump retorted.
Tangent
The trial resumes after Trump won the New Hampshire primary Tuesday, beating his sole remaining competitor former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley by 11 points, effectively paving his path to the GOP nomination after a record-breaking win in Iowa last week.
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