Donald Trump is on his way to Manhattan, where he could testify in the sexual abuse defamation trial against his rape accuser E. Jean Carroll.
The former president, 77, left Trump Tower and headed downtown just hours after flying in from a rally in New Hampshire, just 24 hours before Tuesday's Republican primary.
He left Trump Tower Monday morning with his fist closed, days after showing red marks that turned out to be paper cuts.
The front-runner in the GOP race was both in and out of court during the dramatic trial, with the judge threatening to remove him from office for complaining too loudly.
His lawyer Alina Habba was also involved in a tense exchange over her requests to dismiss the case and delay the trial so Trump could attend his mother-in-law's funeral.
Donald Trump heads to court in Manhattan where he could testify in the sexual abuse libel trial of E. Jean Carroll
Trump attended Thursday's service while Carroll testified and the case continued without him.
Because a different jury found last year that Trump sexually abused Carroll, U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan has ruled that if the former president takes the stand now, he cannot say that she made up her allegations or that she was motivated by financial or political reasons.
But even as he watched the proceedings, the fast-talking former president and current Republican front-runner failed to control his contempt for the case.
In her blog “Civil Discourse,” former prosecutor Joyce Vance wrote that a Trump statement could only end badly because the trial was about seeing how much damages he would have to pay to Carroll.
The former president, 77, left Trump Tower and headed downtown just hours after flying in from a rally in New Hampshire, just 24 hours before Tuesday's Republican primary
“The smart money says there is no way his lawyers would subject him to cross-examination by Carroll’s highly competent legal team,” she wrote.
“Only the amount of damages is in question, and that is not an issue on which Trump's statement is particularly helpful; he can only make it worse. “This damage will likely be greater if Trump takes a stand and acts in his predictable manner,” Vance added.
When Carroll testified last week, he complained so loudly to his lawyers about a “witch hunt” and a “con artist” that the judge threatened to throw Trump out of the courtroom if he continued.
Trump spoke more quietly and remained in court, then held a news conference in which he lamented the “evil judge.”
“Frankly, it's a disgrace what's happening,” Trump told reporters, repeating his assertion that Carroll's claim was “a made-up, made-up story.”
Aside from feuding with Kaplan, Trump also defied the New York state judge in his recent civil white collar fraud trial, which alleged he had inflated his assets.
While Carroll (pictured) was testifying last week, Trump complained so loudly to his lawyers about a “witch hunt” and a “con man” that the judge threatened to throw Trump out of the courtroom if he continued
Trump waves to his supporters as he leaves his midtown Manhattan estate to head to his motorcade on Monday morning
The day before the New Hampshire primary, Trump traveled to Manhattan for court
Trump was greeted by protesters amid speculation about whether he would take a stand
Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing, delivered a brief closing argument of sorts without committing to the rules for summaries and attacked the judge from the witness stand.
He was also fined a total of $15,000 because, according to the judge, he had violated a confidentiality agreement regarding statements made about court employees. Trump's lawyers are appealing the order.
In the Carroll case, her lawyers have pleaded with the judge to make Trump swear before any testimony that he understands and accepts the court's restrictions on what he can say.
“There are a number of reasons why Mr. Trump might see personal or political advantage in intentionally turning this trial into a circus,” attorney Roberta Kaplan, to whom she is not related, wrote in a letter to the judge.
His return to a courtroom comes at another high point in the political calendar. Trump will face former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday. This could be their best chance to seize momentum after prevailing over Republican rivals in Iowa.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dramatically dropped out of the race on Sunday. He previously said that the four indictments and cases brought against him fueled Trump in the primaries and denied “oxygen” to other candidates.