Trump’s lawsuit-seeking lips were again moving at a rally in Georgia on Saturday night. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
On January 26, a jury in New York ordered Donald Trump to pay more than $83 million in damages to E. Jean Carroll as punishment for repeatedly defaming her. Another jury had sided with Carroll in May and found Trump liable for both sexual assaulting and defaming her, awarding her $5 million in damages. But the former president continued to call Carroll a liar afterward, and so she sued Trump for defamation again and won in court again. This time, the judgment included a whopping $65 million in punitive damages, which was meant to deter Trump from repeating his false claims about Carroll. That deterrent only remained effective for 43 days.
On Saturday — one day after he tried to post a $91 million bond in order to prevent Carroll’s attorneys from seizing his assets while he appeals the verdict — Trump resumed defaming Carroll.
Noting the bond at campaign rally in Rome, Georgia, Trump once again called Carroll a liar:
I just posted a $91 million bond, $91 million on a fake story, totally made-up story. $91 million based on false accusations made about me by a woman that I knew nothing about, didn’t know, never heard of, I know nothing about her. She wrote a book, she said things. And when I denied it, I said, “It’s so crazy. It’s false.” I get sued for defamation. That’s where it starts.
Trump again claims E. Jean Carroll made false accusations about him pic.twitter.com/yFNRBvpx2Y — Acyn (@Acyn) March 9, 2024
Trump also briefly referenced Carroll at a rally in Michigan last month, vaguely implying he did not know her.
Though Carrol’s attorneys have not yet commented on Trump’s weekend remarks, Carroll has made it clear she would another lawsuit if he defamed her again. Her attorney, Roberta Kaplan, has said that “all options are on the table” regarding additional lawsuits. Another Carroll attorney, Shawn Crowley, said in an interview last month that they were watching and listening, waiting to see whether Trump would start up again.
They didn’t have to wait very long.