Donald Trump repeatedly shook his head in disgust as a New York judge told potential jurors in his libel trial that he sexually assaulted columnist E. Jean Carroll.
The former president, 77, sat in a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday, just hours after his landslide victory in the Republican caucus in Iowa.
Columnist Carroll's lawyers are demanding that Trump pay $10 million in damages for calling her a liar after she claimed he raped her in the dressing room of a luxury department store in 1996.
A previous civil jury found him guilty of sexually assaulting her in 1996 at Bergdorf's, a luxury department store in Manhattan, after they met by chance outside. Trump is appealing.
In court on Tuesday, Trump's lawyer Alina Habba got into a dramatic argument with Judge Lewis Kaplan over his refusal to delay the trial, and potential jurors were asked a series of questions about her policies.
The judge asked the potential jurors if anyone felt that “Mr. Trump is being treated unfairly by the United States court system.”
Three jurors stood and said they agreed with the testimony.
Trump himself also raised his hand.
In this courtroom sketch, prospective jurors enter the courtroom as Donald Trump (third from left) stands surrounded by his defense team. Alina Habba, fourth from left, Trump's main defender, stands next to him. E. Jean Carroll, second from right in the background, stands with her attorney Roberta Kaplan on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, in New York
In this courtroom sketch, former President Donald Trump (right) turns to an anonymous potential juror, standing left, as he takes questions from Judge Lewis Kaplan during the jury selection process in federal court in New York on Tuesday, January 16 , 2024
E. Jean Carroll arrives in Manhattan court for the $10 million defamation trial against Donald Trump
Trump entered the court in his motorcade through the underground parking garage
As the dramatic hearing began, Trump stood as potential jurors entered the court and watched them take their seats.
Carroll stared at the floor and glanced briefly at the jury.
Judge Kaplan told the jury: “You have been subpoenaed for possible jury service in a civil case.”
“This case is between writer and advice columnist E. Jean Carroll and former President Donald J. Trump.”
The judge told prospective jurors that it was “very important to be candid when answering questions” to ensure impartiality.
He said the jurors would remain anonymous and would only be contacted by the number given to them by the court.
Those selected for the jury were picked up from collection points and taken to the courthouse's underground parking lot.
Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attends a viewing party during the 2024 Iowa Republican presidential election in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 15, 2024
Jurors should not even reveal their real names to other jurors or tell their families that they were involved in this case.
The reason is to “protect all of you from unwanted attention, harassment and invasion of your privacy,” the judge said.
Judge Kaplan gave the jury a summary of the case, saying that Carroll sued Trump over statements he made in June 2019 after she accused him of sexually abusing her in the mid-1990s.
Trump then shook his head negatively.
Judge Kaplan said: “In statements released by Mr. Trump in 2019, Mr. Trump denied Miss Carrol's allegation, stating that he had never met her and did not know who she was and that she had made up her story about Mr. Trump , to help her sell.” A new book.
Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, a United States District Judge serving on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
“For reasons that I will explain later, this litigation is limited to the issue of monetary damages, if any, that Miss Carroll should receive for these publications.
“This is because the court found in a previous decision that Mr. Trump was liable for defamation on both of these occasions.”
“It has been established that Mr. Trump sexually assaulted Miss Carroll, that when he made statements about Miss Carroll, he knew those statements were false, and that he made them with reckless disregard of whether they were true or false .”
Trump then shook his head again in dissatisfaction.
Judge Kaplan said Carroll claimed she had suffered “reputational and professional damage.”
Judge Kaplan asked potential jurors if they were unable to be impartial after hearing the summary of the case. Three jurors raised their hands and were excused.
Journalist E. Jean Carroll arrives in federal court for her second civil defamation trial against former President Donald J. Trump on January 16, 2024 in New York, New York, USA
Among the potential jurors was a woman who did PR work as an adviser to Trump's daughter Ivanka in 2017 and 2018.
When asked if any jurors had worked for Trump, one man said he had been a U.S. Navy officer, apparently referring to the time he was president.
Three potential jurors raised their hands when asked if they had donated to Trump's political campaign or PAC.
Several said they donated to campaigns for Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.
A male juror confirmed that he followed Trump on social media and attended a campaign rally for him.
The same man, along with a female juror, agreed when asked if he believed the “2020 election was stolen.”
No one raised their hands when asked if they were members of extremist groups, including the QAnon movement, Antifa, the Communist Party of the United States and the Ku Klux Klan.
None of the potential jurors said they supported or belonged to the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers or the Boogaloo Boys, groups that were involved in the Trump-sponsored storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
E Jean Carroll arrives at her defamation trial against former President Donald Trump at New York Federal Court in New York City on January 16, 2024
No one raised their hand when asked if they used Truth Social, Trump's social media platform.
As Judge Kaplan surveyed the room, he said “a lot of hands went up” when he asked jurors if they had heard about Trump's four criminal trials.
One juror said it would make it difficult for them to be fair during the trial and apologized.
Several jurors stood when asked if they had watched “The Apprentice,” the reality TV show he used to host, but none said it would affect their ability to be impartial.
Other questions included whether jurors had strong feelings about the MeToo movement.