Levin Report

Thanks to E. Jean Carroll, Donald Trump Is Now Running for President With the Words “Certified Sexual Predator” Next to His Name

The former guy was held accountable for the first time in his life on Tuesday, when a jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation.
Donald Trump
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

On Tuesday afternoon, less than three hours after it began deliberations, a Manhattan jury found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll in a Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s—and for defaming her when he called her a liar when she went public with her allegations in 2019. The jury did not find him liable for rape, and the $5 million won’t make much of a dent in his net worth, even considering he’s nowhere near as rich as claims to be. And yet, this was obviously an incredible moment, and turn of events, considering that Trump has essentially never once been held accountable for a lifetime of horrific behavior.

That horrific behavior was on display throughout the two-week trial, including last week when the jury heard from Trump, via taped deposition, in which he doubled down on the right to sexually assault people and told Carroll’s lawyer Roberta Kaplan, “You wouldn’t be a choice of mine either, to be honest.” He added: “I wouldn’t in any circumstances have any interest in you.”

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Days earlier, jurors had heard from one of Carroll’s friends, Lisa Birnbach, who told them that the writer had called her minutes after the sexual abuse occurred, “breathless, hyperventilating, emotional,” and said, “Lisa, you’re not going to believe what happened to me.”

Shortly after the verdict was announced, Trump took to Truth Social to tell his followers: “I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE - A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!” While being deposed in the civil case, he’d mistaken a photo of Carroll for his second wife, Marla Maples, calling into question his gross claim that he could not have attacked Carroll because she supposedly was not his “type.”

Tuesday‘s outcome is, of course, far from the only legal matter currently facing Trump. Last month, he was charged with 34 class E felonies stemming from various hush money payments he made leading up to the 2016 election. He is also under criminal investigation by the Fulton County district attorney’s office for trying to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, as well as the Justice Department for both trying to overturn the election and his handling of classified documents and possible obstruction. In all three cases, should he be indicted and found guilty, prison time is on the table.

Trump has said any current and future legal woes will not stop him from running for president. And currently (and extremely depressingly), his supporters do not appear to have any problem voting for a guy who’s been accused of a whole bunch of f--ked up s--t. As The New York Times noted late last month, Trump’s poll numbers have only been on the rise, with one showing him winning 62% during the Republican primary. On the other hand, he now has to run with the phrase “noted sexual abuser” next to his name—petition to put it next to the “R” on the ballot!—and that’s not a bad thing.

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