Trump Accuser E. Jean Carroll Testifies That Ex-Prez Raped Her in 1996: 'I'm Here to Get My Life Back'
April 26 2023, Published 2:48 p.m. ET
Donald Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll testified in court this week and reiterated her allegations that the former president raped her in a department store fitting room nearly 30 years ago, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In the latest development to come months after Carroll sued Trump for sexual battery and defamation last year, Carroll took the stand in a New York City court on Wednesday to tell jurors the businessman-turned-president allegedly raped her in 1996.
"I'm here because Donald Trump raped me, and when I wrote about it, he said it didn't happen,” she told the court on Wednesday. “He lied and shattered my reputation, and I'm here to try and get my life back.”
According to Carroll, the alleged incident took place in a fitting room in the spring of 1996 after she ran into Trump outside a Manhattan Bergdorf Goodman department store.
He allegedly asked for Carroll’s help in selecting a gift for an unspecified woman and, after ending up in the lingerie department of the store, the then-future president allegedly “slammed her against” the wall of a nearby fitting room and raped her.
Carroll claims she was able to escape the alleged attack by kneeing Trump before fleeing from the Manhattan store.
Trump’s accuser, who was writing for Elle magazine at the time of the alleged attack, first made the allegations against the former president in her 2019 memoir, What Do We Need Men For?
After Carroll’s allegations first came to light, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to slam his accuser, her allegations, and her lawsuit against him.
“She completely made up a story that I met her at the doors of this crowded New York City Department Store and, within minutes, 'swooned' her,” Trump wrote after a judge ordered him to be deposed in connection to the lawsuit in October 2022.
“It is a Hoax and a lie, just like all the other Hoaxes that have been played on me for the past seven years,” he continued at the time. “And, while I am not supposed to say it, I will. This woman is not my type!”
Trump took to Truth Social again this week to slam Carroll and once again deny her allegations against him.
"This is a fraudulent & false story,” the embattled former president wrote on Wednesday. “Witch Hunt!"
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Trump also claimed the case against him is a “made up scam.” The federal judge overseeing the case, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, reportedly warned Trump and his team that the statements made to Truth Social were "entirely inappropriate" and could create additional legal problems for the already embattled ex-president.
According to the federal lawsuit against Trump, Carroll is seeking unspecified damages as well as a retraction of his allegedly defamatory remarks against his alleged accuser.
