In a Manhattan federal court trial, writer E. Jean Carroll testified on Wednesday about the impact that former President Donald Trump's denial of sexually abusing her had on her reputation and her life. Carroll, who was the first witness in the trial to determine damages owed by Trump for defaming her, claimed that Trump's vehement denial and ongoing verbal attacks against her have caused significant damage. Trump, who was present in the courtroom, appeared visibly agitated during Carroll's testimony, frequently shaking his head and communicating with his lawyer, who made multiple objections to prevent the jury from hearing the details of Carroll's sexual assault allegations.

Carroll, an 80-year-old advice columnist, arrived at Manhattan federal court on January 17, 2024, to testify against Trump. However, before her testimony, a hostile encounter occurred between Trump's attorney, Alina Habba, and Judge Lewis A. Kaplan. Habba requested an adjournment of the trial so that Trump could attend his mother-in-law's funeral, but the judge denied the request, leading to a heated exchange between Habba and the judge. Habba called the judge's ruling "insanely prejudicial," and the judge responded by cutting her off and instructing her to sit down. The judge then ordered the jury to be brought in.

Carroll's testimony came less than a year after she convinced a jury that Trump had sexually abused her in the 1990s and defamed her in 2022. She hoped that holding Trump accountable would put an end to his verbal attacks against her as he campaigned for the presidency. However, Trump's public lies about her continued unabated, according to Carroll. She stated that Trump lied about her last month, last Sunday, and even the day before her testimony. Carroll revealed that she recently saw a post on social media that referred to her as a fraud, further tarnishing her reputation.

Carroll emphasized that she was once a respected advice columnist but is now known as a liar, a fraud, and a whack job due to Trump's public statements. The trial focuses on determining the additional damages, if any, that Trump should pay for his remarks in 2019 while he was president. Trump, who is currently leading the Republican ticket and won the Iowa caucuses, sat in on the jury selection before leaving for a rally in New Hampshire. He took to social media to dismiss the case as "fabricated lies and political shenanigans" and accused Carroll of attempting extortion.

Carroll, who is seeking $10 million in compensatory damages and additional punitive damages, said that Trump's actions have had a profound impact on her life. She claims that Trump forced himself on her in a dressing room in 1996 and then publicly attacked her honesty, motives, and sanity when she shared her story in a memoir in 2019. Carroll alleges that she lost millions of readers and her position at Elle magazine, where she had a popular advice column for over 25 years, due to Trump's reaction to her allegations. Elle magazine has stated that her contract was not renewed for unrelated reasons.

Trump maintains that he never sexually abused Carroll and that he never even met her. He dismisses the 1987 party photo of them together, claiming it was a brief greeting that "doesn't count." Trump did not attend the previous trial in May, where a jury found him guilty of sexually abusing and defaming Carroll, awarding her $5 million in damages. However, the jury did not find sufficient evidence to support Carroll's claim that Trump raped her.

The trial will continue as Carroll presents her case for damages against Trump, hoping to regain her reputation and hold him accountable for the harm he has caused her.