Will Donald Trump testify on Monday? As the civil trial of the former American president, sued for defamation and accused of rape, ends, the judge left the door ajar on Thursday. On vacation in Ireland, Donald Trump had assured journalists that he intended to “go back and confront” his accuser, but his lawyer, Joe Tacopina, seemed to rule out this hypothesis.
This means that the jury will have to, barring a twist, rely on the video testimony of Donald Trump’s official deposition, which took place last year. It was made public on Friday, including the moment he confuses ex-columnist E. Jean Carroll and his then-wife Marla Maples in a photo.
Facing the photo printed on a full page, Donald Trump recognizes Carroll’s husband, John Johnson. Then he points to the ex-columnist and says “It’s Marla.” “You say it’s Marla in this photo?” asks Carroll’s attorney. “Yes, it’s Marla, it’s my wife,” Trump replies confidently. His lawyer, Alina Habba, then intervenes, correcting him, “No, it’s Carroll.” “It’s very vague,” defends Donald Trump, who suffers, according to American journalists, from presbyopia, but does not wear glasses in this sequence.
“Not my type”
For the prosecution, this moment is particularly important, because Donald Trump has repeatedly said that he did not know E. Jean Carroll and that she was “not (his) type”.
The former Elle columnist claims she was raped by Donald Trump in the dressing room of a major New York boutique in the mid-1990s. During the hearing, she had to concede that she did not remember not of the exact date of the facts that she denounces. And, in the absence of witnesses, it is his word against that of Donald Trump. Her testimony was, however, corroborated by two witnesses in whom she claims to have confided at the time. The jury also saw the Access Hollywood video in which Donald Trump bragged that he could, with his celebrity status, “grab women by the pussy” without consequence.
Two other accusers came to testify. A former journalist claims that Donald Trump pinned her against a wall at his home in Mar-a-Lago and kissed her without her consent. Another woman claims he attacked her on a first class flight, notably touching her chest. During the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump denied it all, assuring that this woman “would not be (his) first choice”.
Criminal trial in the middle of the Republican primary
Barring any mishaps, deliberations could begin Monday afternoon or Tuesday. Made possible by a New York law lifting the civil statute of limitations in sexual assault cases, this trial is a test for the MeToo movement. This is the first time that Donald Trump, who has been accused of sexual assault or harassment by around 20 women, has had to defend himself in court. But as these are civil proceedings, he does not risk a prison sentence but having to pay damages to E. Jean Carroll, if the latter wins the trial.
Donald Trump could, however, make his return to justice in Manhattan, but this time in criminal proceedings, as early as February or March 2024, in the Stormy Daniels case. A trial for accounting fraud which therefore risks falling in the middle of the Republican primary. And Donald Trump’s troubles don’t end there. In Georgia, the prosecutor must announce possible charges on the pressures of the Trump campaign during the presidential election of 2020 this summer. And Special Prosecutor Jack Smith’s investigations into the ballot, the Capitol storming and Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents are also expected to come to an end in the coming months. Important reminder: even a prison sentence could not prevent Donald Trump from being a candidate on November 5, 2024.