Trump Responds as Rape Accuser Takes the Stand in Trial: ‘Fraudulent and False’

As the trial of Donald Trump’s rape accuser, E. Jean Carroll, began earlier this week, the former president delivered a swift and vehement denial of her claims, which were first published in her 2019 memoir “What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal.”

In a statement released on Monday, Trump called Carroll’s allegations “false” and “frivolous,” and accused her of making up the story to sell books and gain publicity.

“For the umpteenth time, Donald Trump is lying,” Carroll responded at a press conference later that day. “I am not making this up. I have nothing to sell. I am not seeking publicity. I am simply seeking justice.”

In her book, Carroll claims that Trump sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s. The president has denied the accusations, and his Justice Department has sought to have the case dismissed, arguing that Trump cannot be sued for actions taken while he was in office.

Carroll’s legal team, however, has argued that the alleged assault falls outside of Trump’s official duties as president, and that therefore he should not be granted immunity.

During her testimony in front of a New York court on Monday, Carroll recounted the alleged assault in detail, describing how Trump allegedly forced himself on her and pinned her against a wall.

“I was afraid,” Carroll said. “He was bigger than me. He grabbed me, and he petted (me), and then he was unbuttoning my pants. And then he raped me.”

Carroll’s testimony drew widespread attention and support from women’s rights activists and anti-Trump groups, many of whom called for the former president to be held accountable for his alleged actions.

Trump himself, however, remained defiant, issuing a statement later on Monday in which he again denied the allegations and accused Carroll of being part of a political conspiracy.

“The Radical Left Democrats and their Fake News Media partners, headed up again by Little Adam Schiff, and batting Zero for 21 against me, are at it again!” Trump wrote. “They never stop. They are vicious and will do whatever they can to stop the MAGA movement.”

Despite Trump’s efforts to discredit Carroll and her allegations, her case has already had an impact on the broader conversation around sexual assault and harassment in the United States.

Many women’s rights advocates have praised Carroll’s courage in coming forward with her story, and have vowed to continue fighting to hold powerful men accountable for their actions.

“As women, we deserve to be heard, and we deserve to be believed,” Carroll said in her press conference on Monday. “And we deserve justice.”