Jurors in the civil rape trial against former US President Donald Trump were shown a video deposition on Thursday in which he defended his private comments about grabbing women sexually without asking. The video, taken during questioning by a lawyer for E. Jean Carroll, who has accused Trump of raping her in the mid-1990s, showed the former president defending his 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape.
In the tape, Trump made comments about how, “when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything… Grab ’em by the pussy.” During the deposition, Trump defended his comments, saying, “Historically, that’s true, with stars… if you look over the last million years.” The tape was made public in October 2016, just a month before Trump was elected as the President of the United States.
Carroll is seeking unspecified damages from Trump, and the trial is expected to continue into next week. Although Trump has denied all the allegations, he will not be testifying in court and has not been present in the Manhattan courtroom so far.
Carroll’s lawyers have argued that the episode, which became public in January, undermines Trump’s claim that Carroll was not his type. During the deposition, Trump also mistook Carroll for his second wife, Marla Maples, in a black-and-white photograph. Carroll’s lawyers argued that this episode proves Trump’s claim that Carroll was not his type is false.
A social media and marketing expert hired by Carroll told jurors on Thursday that the cost to repair the reputational damage of Trump’s statements could range from $368,000 to $2.8 million. Carroll testified that Trump raped her and then damaged her reputation and career by lying about it online.
Two other women also testified in support of Carroll, claiming that Trump sexually assaulted them in separate incidents decades ago. Trump has denied these claims and accused Carroll of making up the story to drive sales of her 2019 memoir, in which she made her allegations public.
The trial is highly publicized, with many people following it closely to see how it plays out. It has reignited conversations about sexual assault and the power dynamics between men and women. The verdict could have far-reaching implications for Trump and the future of sexual assault cases in the United States.
