After Iowa win, Trump heads to court for rape, defamation charges
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Former US President Donald Trump attends a court trial for sexual assault accusations raised against him by writer E. Jean Carroll.
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Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump during a campaign event in Atkinson, N.H., Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024 (AP)
Former US President Donald Trump on Tuesday celebrated his win in Republican Iowa in a New York courtroom for sexual assault charges.
Trump was accused of rape and defamation in a case filed in 2019 by journalist E. Jean Carroll, and a jury later found him guilty of all charges.
During this court hearing, Trump did not testify or attempt to defend himself and avoided any form of contact with Carroll. However, he took to Truth Social, his online platform, to attack the plaintiff. He shared a video of a previous interview she gave to CNN and slammed her saying, "Can you believe I have to defend myself against this woman's fake story?"
Trump said he intends to attend daily hearings in court while simultaneously campaigning. He described his routine as a "Biden witch hunt" in the morning, then a pitstop at supportive rallies to gain votes.
The former President's reputation has not been damaged by any of his inappropriate actions, namely all the rape accusations. Instead, Trump finds himself gaining support from the right-wing party regardless.
Caroll's lawsuit summarized
Carroll's lawyers filed an upgraded civil suit against Trump in 2022, accusing him of battery "when he forcibly raped and groped" her, as well as defamation in a post on his Truth Social platform last month in which he denied the alleged rape.
This suit sought a civil trial in 2023 and unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for psychological harm, pain, and suffering, loss of dignity, and damage to her reputation.
The introduction to the new lawsuit states, "Roughly 27 years ago, playful banter at the luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Avenue in New York City took a dark turn when Defendant Donald J. Trump seized Plaintiff E. Jean Carroll, forced her up against a dressing room wall, pinned her in place with his shoulder, and raped her."
During that trial, Trump was found liable, and the court offered Carroll $5 million in compensation.
This time around, Carroll is seeking $10 million for defamation. The trial is based on a remark Trump made after Carroll made her allegations. In this case, Trump denied the accusations by saying, "She [Carroll] is not my type."
Slammed in court, praised in the ballots
Trump's usual tactic in the many lawsuits filed against him is to give provocative speeches when given the stand and take to social media to insult court personnel.
However, the judge on this case, Lewis Kaplan, restricted this "freedom" Trump enjoyed previously. Kaplan is explicitly siding with Carroll, saying she was indeed violated by Trump, disallowing the latter to even refute this ruling.
Trump, on the other hand, insisted that he did not know who Carroll was, calling her a "whack job" and claiming the trial was rigged.
Trump has been the center of four criminal cases and 91 unlawful allegations, including fraud, battery, and sexual assault. However, he still finds himself among the top-runners for the presidential elections.
Donald Trump is anticipated to secure victory in the initial ballot of the 2024 presidential race, as Iowa voters convene on Monday night for caucuses that will establish the trajectory for the Republican campaign in pursuit of the White House.
He maintains a substantial lead in a diminishing field of Republicans competing for the party's presidential nomination, as indicated by the polls. However, the former President faces the challenges of managing elevated expectations and adverse winter weather conditions that may impede voter turnout.
Read more: Approval has Trump topping opponents, Biden hitting new low: Poll
