The trial said Donald Trump mistook rape accuser E. Jean Carroll for his ex-wife

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By Holly Honderich, BBC News, May 4, 2023 at 17:40 GMT

Updated 52 minutes ago

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Donald Trump’s statements appeared before a jury in Manhattan on Thursday

Donald Trump appeared to fault E. Jean Carroll and his ex-wife, Marla Maples, in his testimony to the jury in the civil rape case that Carroll brought against him.

In the video, Mr Trump was shown a picture of himself talking to other people at an event. “It’s Marla,” he says, before his lawyer corrects him.

The lawyer says, “No, this is Carol.”

Carroll, 79, accused Trump, 76, of attacking her in a New York City department store in the mid-1990s, an allegation Trump has denied.

Carroll’s lawyers have argued that Mr. Trump’s confusion over the photo undermines his claim that Mrs. Carroll is “not my type”, a comment he has repeated since she first made the allegation in 2019.

Trump has yet to attend the civil trial, which is now drawing to a close after two weeks of proceedings in Manhattan. Both sides rested their case on Thursday, though the Trump team has not called any witnesses in its defense.

He had told reporters he might cut his ongoing golf trip to Ireland short to “face” Ms Carroll in court.

“I’m going back early because a woman made a completely false allegation, it’s bogus,” Mr Trump said.

Image source, Getty Images

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E Jean Carroll said the alleged attack left her unable to have a romantic life

Trump’s suggestion that he return to New York comes after his attorney, Joseph Takopina, told the judge that Trump would not testify in court.

Referring to Mr. Trump’s comments, the judge said he would give Trump until Sunday afternoon to make a decision. After that, the judge said, “That ship has sailed irrevocably.”

The nine-member jury was shown video of a combative deposition between the former president and Roberta Kaplan, one of Carroll’s attorneys, filmed the previous October.

Trump continued his categorical denial of Carroll’s accusation that Mr. Trump maneuvered her into the dressing room of Bergdorf Goodman’s Manhattan department store and raped her.

“If it had happened, it would have been reported within minutes,” Trump said at the deposition, noting that others in the “very busy store” would have heard a continued attack.

Jurors at the trial, which lasted nearly two weeks, heard days of videotaped testimony. Carroll told jurors she was left “unable to lead a romantic life again” after the alleged attack.

Image source, Getty Images

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Marla Maples was married to Mr. Trump from 1993 until 1999

Her account in court was backed up by her friend, Lisa Birnbach, who testified this week to receiving a call from Carroll minutes after she said she had been raped.

Carroll’s team called two other women – Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff – who described Mr Trump’s alleged sexual assaults – allegations he denied.

Carroll, a former columnist for Elle magazine, was able to file her civil lawsuit against Trump after New York passed the Adult Survivors Act in 2022.

The law allowed a period of one year for victims to file sexual assault claims in the state on claims that normally exceeded legal restrictions.

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