Staff Reports
The judge in former President Donald Trump’s defamation trial in New York City gave Trump a piece of his mind on Thursday after Trump complained that he had never met his accuser, E. Jean Carroll. Carroll is suing Trump for a hefty $10 million, claiming he defamed her in 2019 after she accused him of sexually assaulting her in the 1990s. Judge Lewis Kaplan has already ruled in Carroll’s favor on the defamation charge, but the financial settlement is still up in the air. Carroll did win a civil case against Trump last year and was awarded $5 million, although the jury did not support her claim of rape.
Judge Snaps at Trump, Only Lets Him Testify for a Few Minutes: 'Keep Your Voice Down' https://t.co/L9KFmwxZSP
— IJR (@TheIJR) January 26, 2024
Before Trump was set to testify, Judge Kaplan and Trump’s attorney Alina Habba were in discussion about the questions Trump would face. However, Trump just couldn’t help himself and interrupted, asserting that he had never met Carroll and didn’t know who she was. But Judge Kaplan quickly shut down Trump’s outburst and reminded him to keep his voice down. But of course, Trump wasn’t finished there. He continued to interrupt the proceedings, prompting Judge Kaplan to scold him for being disruptive.
When Trump took the stand, things only got worse. His attorney asked if he stood by his previous deposition, and Trump affirmed without a doubt. Then, when asked if he denied the allegations, Trump went on a tirade about Carroll’s false claims. Judge Kaplan had to intervene, instructing the jury to disregard everything Trump said after a certain point.
Even when Carroll’s attorneys tried to question Trump about the previous trial and his lawyers objected, Trump couldn’t help but shake his head at the jury. And as if that wasn’t enough, as Trump was leaving the courtroom, he couldn’t resist getting in one final comment, claiming, “This is not America. Not America. This is not America.” But really, who can blame him for feeling defensive in the face of such relentless scrutiny and bias?
