'This is not America': Donald Trump testifies for less than three minutes in New York defamation case
25 January 2024, 21:46
Donald Trump testified for just three minutes in a defamation trial brought by fashion writer E Jean Carroll in New York, telling the court: "This is not America".
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The former US President passionately declared that he was at the court to "defend the presidency" as he gave his statement.
The case was brought by Ms Carroll after Trump called her a liar for accusing him of a decades-old rape in 2019.
“She said something I considered a false accusation,” Trump told the court.
“And I just wanted to defend myself, my family and frankly, the presidency.”
Later on, Trump could be heard muttering as he left the courtroom: “This is not America. This is not America. This is not America.”
Ms Carroll claims Trump ruined her reputation after she accused him for the first time publicly in a memoir of sexually abusing her in spring 1996 in the dressing room of a Manhattan luxury department store.
Trump, 77, has denied the accusations for the last five years and continues to attack Ms Carroll, 80, as he attempts to secure the Republican presidential nomination.
Soon after the announcement by Trump attorney Alina Habba out of the presence of the jury, Mr Trump could be heard saying aloud: "I never met the woman. I don't know who the woman is. I wasn't at the trial."
That comment prompted Judge Kaplan to respond: "I'm sorry Mr Trump. You're interrupting these proceedings. That is not permitted."
