In a brief and fiery moment, former President Trump testified in his defamation case brought by advice columnist E. Jean Carroll on Thursday. Trump’s testimony, lasting about two minutes, served as the final testimony before closing arguments.
Exiting the courtroom, Trump expressed, “This is not America, not America, this is not America,” although the jury had already left by that point.
Trump’s testimony was a pivotal moment in the case as he aimed to counter Carroll’s claim for at least $10 million in damages. Carroll alleges that Trump sexually assaulted her in the mid-1990s, and Trump has consistently denied these accusations, attacking Carroll’s credibility and appearance publicly.
While Trump has recently appeared in court for his civil fraud trial related to his business empire, Thursday marked the first instance of Trump taking the stand in either of Carroll’s trials.
The judge outlined ground rules governing what Trump could and could not say during his testimony, including limitations on the number of questions he could be asked.
Trump was called as a witness by his defense attorney Alina Habba, according to the report.
