London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

"I Am Here Because Donald Trump Raped Me": US Writer Testifies Before Jury

"I Am Here Because Donald Trump Raped Me": US Writer Testifies Before Jury

E. Jean Carroll, a journalist and former Elle magazine advice columnist, says she kept silent about the alleged attack for decades out of fear that Trump would destroy her if she went public.

The New York author who claims Donald Trump raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1990s testified in graphic detail about the alleged assault on the second day of the trial over her lawsuit.

E. Jean Carroll, a journalist and former Elle magazine advice columnist, says she kept silent about the alleged attack for decades out of fear that Trump would destroy her if she went public. On Wednesday in Manhattan federal court, she testified that she filed the suit to set the record straight.

"I am here because Donald Trump raped me, and when I wrote about it he said it didn't happen," Carroll, 79, said under questioning by her lawyer. She added: "He shattered my reputation and I'm trying to get my life back."

The jury of six men and three women will decide if Trump, 76, is liable for sexually assaulting Carroll more than two decades ago and defaming her last year by claiming on social media that she fabricated the attack to sell a book. He has denied wrongdoing and argues the case is part of a broader politically motivated "witch hunt."

His lawyer, Joe Tacopina, signaled during his opening argument on Tuesday that he'll seek to undermine Carroll's story by presenting evidence that she is motivated by an animus toward Trump and that she waited too long to come forward with her claim if it were true.

The jury of six men and three women will decide if Trump, 76, is liable for sexually assaulting Carroll more than two decades ago.


Carroll, asked to describe how the alleged assault unfolded, testified that she and Trump ran into each other at the luxury department store while shopping. She told the jury she agreed to help him pick out a gift for a woman.

Kidding Around


Carroll said Trump asked her to go to the sixth-floor lingerie department, where they eventually found a lacy bodysuit that he jokingly suggested she try on. She said she told him he should try it on instead, thinking he would put the bodysuit on over his pants.

Carroll told the jurors she agreed to go into a dressing room with him, thinking it was an amusing moment, "sort of like a Saturday Night Live sketch."

She said Trump then "shut the door and shoved me against the wall. He shoved me so hard my head banged. I was extremely confused and suddenly realized that what I thought was happening was not happening."

She testified that she didn't scream but instead fought to get away, even though Trump is much larger than she is.

'I Can Still Feel It'


"My whole reason for being alive in that moment was to get out of that room," she said. She said she was "trying to wriggle out from under him, but he had pulled down my tights" and assaulted her with his fingers, "which was extremely painful. He put his hand inside of me and curved his finger. As I'm sitting here today I can still feel it."

"I'm proud to say I did get out," Carroll told the court. "I got my knee up and pushed him back."

She fought back tears as she described the guilt she felt over why she went into the dressing room with Trump.

"I was ashamed," she said. "I thought it was my fault. Because I was flirting with him."

Trump on Wednesday morning blasted Carroll's lawsuit in a post on social media, calling the case a "SCAM" and deriding his accuser as "Ms. Bergdorf Goodman."

The case is Carroll v. Trump, 22-cv-10016, US District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×