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| Reuters |
This decision was made by Judge Lewis Kaplan, despite concerns expressed by the columnist's lawyers that the former president could "sow chaos" if he attended the trial. Carroll, 80, will take the stand this Wednesday to explain her version of events to the jury.
Trump, who on Monday secured his first pre-election victory after winning over 50% of the votes in the Iowa caucuses, attended the federal court in Manhattan dressed in his 'uniform,' a black suit, and a red tie.
In this trial, expected to last only three to five days according to Kaplan, Trump will have to respond to accusations of defaming Carroll when he stated in 2019 that he did not know the writer and that her confession that the former president sexually abused her in the nineties was false.
Last May, another jury ordered Trump to pay $5 million to Carroll, finding that he sexually abused her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room, and defamed her in 2022 by denying that anything had happened.
The latest trial has become a focal point of Trump's 2024 White House race, with Trump using his Truth Social platform on Tuesday to unleash criticism against Carroll and the judge overseeing the case, even after jury selection and the trial process began.
Trump, 77, has often used his legal troubles to rally supporters and raise funds as he seeks the Republican presidential nomination, portraying the cases as part of a political conspiracy.
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Carroll's latest case refers to statements Trump made in June 2019, while in the White House, in which he claimed not to know her, and she accused him of rape to boost sales of her memoirs.
The former Elle magazine advice columnist said that Trump's denials and the consequences led her to fear for her safety and destroyed a professional reputation she had spent decades building.
"He used the world's largest microphone to attack Mrs. Carroll, humiliate her, and destroy her reputation," said Shawn Crowley, Carroll's lawyer, in his opening statement. "It's time to make him pay dearly for what he has done."
Carroll is seeking at least $10 million in damages. Trump's legal team countered that Carroll invited criticism by accusing Trump of inappropriate sexual conduct and suffered harm only from "aggressive" things people posted on social media.
They also said that Carroll has benefited from the flattery of her supporters and media attention, even leveraging her case to work on a novel with Trump's niece, Mary Trump, who sued her uncle for her inheritance.
"Regardless of some ill-intentioned tweets, Mrs. Carroll is now more famous than she has ever been in her life, beloved and respected by many, which was her goal," said Trump's lawyer, Alina Habba, in her opening statement.
Trump, who did not attend Carroll's first trial, attended jury selection on Tuesday but skipped the opening statements to make a campaign stop in New Hampshire.
Trump has said he wants to testify. His lawyers have said he plans to attend the Thursday funeral of his wife Melania's mother, meaning any testimony may occur next week, as the court does not meet on Fridays.
Trump has pleaded not guilty separately in four criminal cases, including two in which he is accused of trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden.
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