Former US President Donald Trump is currently on trial in New York for rape. He did not appear in person at the hearing, but a video of his interrogation was played to the jury on Thursday. In it, Trump also defended previous statements about unsolicited sexual groping of women.
In the video, plaintiff’s attorney, writer E. Jean Carroll, asks Trump about the 2005 recording known as the “Access Hollywood” video. While Trump said of women, “If you’re a star, they let you do anything. you can do anything Grab her pussy.” The lawyer wanted to know from Trump how he felt about these statements today. “Historically, that’s right with the stars if you look at the last million years,” Trump replied. He sees himself as such a star.
Writer claims damages
The video featuring Trump’s sexist comments was first released in 2016, a month before he was elected president of the United States. Trump is currently running again to run as the Republican nominee in the 2024 presidential election.
Carroll accuses Trump of raping her in a fitting room of Bergdorf Goodman department store in the 1990s and then damaging her reputation and career by lying online. A social media and marketing expert hired by Carroll estimated the financial damage to be between $368,000 and $2.8 million. Carroll is seeking unspecified damages.
Trump is confusing plaintiff with his ex-wife
Two of Carroll’s old friends testified in court that she told them about the rape at the time and that they believed her. Two other women accused Trump of sexually assaulting them decades ago.
Trump denies all allegations, accusing Carroll of fabricating the story to boost sales of her 2019 memoir and being politically motivated, among other things. In his affidavit, he also called Carroll “mentally ill” and stated that he did not commit the rape because Carroll was “not my type”.
Carroll’s lawyer picked up on the latter during Trump’s questioning, as shown in the video on Thursday. In it, the lawyer shows him a black and white photo of Carroll, but Trump apparently mistakes her for his ex-wife. Because looking at the picture he said: “It’s Marla”. He was probably referring to his second wife Marla Maples. At the attorney’s request, Trump’s lawyers intervened, insisting it was Carroll. Trump’s lawyers have not called any witnesses themselves, so negotiations are expected to conclude in the next week.
(Reuters, fho/t-online)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
