Donald Trump verdict: E Jean Carroll ‘overwhelmed with joy’ after jury finds former president sexually abused her | US news

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E Jean Carroll said she was “overwhelmed with joy” for women across America after former president Donald Trump was found liable for sexually abusing and defaming her.

In an interview with NBC News’ Savannah Guthrie on the Today show, the 79-year-old said the court win was not about the millions she was awarded in damages, but securing victory for all women. .

“I am overwhelmed with joy and happiness and joy for women in this country,” she said.

“It’s not about the money. It’s about getting my name back,” Carroll added.

The former US president was also found to have defamed Ms Carroll, but the civil trial rejected her claim that she was raped during the encounter.

Trump, who is campaigning for the 2024 presidency, must pay the former Elle magazine advise columnist $5m (£4m) in damages.

He continued to deny Carroll’s claims.

“I have absolutely no idea who this woman is. This verdict is a disgrace – a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time!” he wrote on his social media site, Truth Social, after the verdicts were handed down.

A Trump campaign spokesman said in a statement Tuesday: “This case will be appealed, and ultimately we will win.”

On what she would say to Mr Trump given the chance, Ms Carroll said she approached her lawyer, Joe Tacopina, at the end of the case and let him know.

“Tacopina put her hand out and I said, ‘He did it and you know it.’ So I had a chance,” he recalled.

Photo: E Jean Carroll leaving Manhattan Federal Court following the verdict

Ms Carroll was joined by her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, who said she was confident her client would recover damages from Mr Trump and that his team had no basis for an appeal.

“I’ve rarely felt more confident about an appeal than I do about this,” he said.

Ms Carroll said she bumped into Trump at a Manhattan department store in 1995 or 1996 and ended up raping her in a changing room.

He also said that she was defaming him by saying that he made up the story.

The nine-person jury deliberated for less than three hours before finding him guilty on Tuesday.

Ms Kaplan said “without question” the jury was sending a clear message by awarding multimillion-dollar damages and reaching a verdict in a matter of hours.

In addition, Ms Carroll said Trump’s refusal to testify helped. “He didn’t even bother to show up,” she added.

Image: Donald Trump has responded to the verdict

Trump’s deposition, in which he was questioned about the “Access Hollywood” tape that surfaced before the 2016 presidential election, also helped secure the victory, Ms Kaplan said.

Asked during the deposition about his remarks on the tape, Trump said, “Well, historically, that’s true of the stars.”

“Is it true of the stars that they can steal women through their privates?” asked Ms. Kaplan.

“Well, that’s the – if you look over the last million years, I think it’s mostly true. Not always, but mostly true. Unfortunately or fortunately,” the former president responded.

Ms Kaplan also said in her Today interview that this was an important moment. “Fortunately? Who uses the word fortunately to talk about sexual assault?” he asked.

Read more: Sexual abuse finding reverberates through presidential campaign What other investigations does Trump face?

Ms Carroll recalled the toll the case took on her for more than 30 years.

“Yesterday, there was a concept of the perfect victim, who is always screaming, always reporting to the police, always writing when it happened, and their life is folding and they shouldn’t be happy,” he said.

“Yesterday, we demolished that concept, it’s gone. It’s not so much about me, it’s about every woman.”

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0:21 Trump: ‘The most dangerous man I’ve ever met’

Reflecting on Trump’s repeated claims that he has no idea who he is, Ms Carroll noted that among the many legal issues the former president could face: “What happened yesterday was a… petite blonde, wily, female lawyer and a 79-year-old advice columnist, defeated Donald Trump in court.”

Mr Trump vowed to appeal on his Truth Social site, calling the result “a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time”.

He claimed the judge was biased and made sure “the outcome was as negative as it could possibly be, talking to, and controlling a jury from an anti-Trump place…”

Trump – who did not attend the trial and waived his right to testify or present a defense – insisted he never sexually assaulted Ms Carroll or met her.

The 76-year-old, who hopes to regain the White House in 2024, will not have to pay compensation while the case is on appeal.

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