Donald Trump Breaks Judge Kaplan's Rules Immediately After Taking the Stand

Former President Donald Trump broke Judge Lewis Kaplan's rules immediately after taking the stand in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case on Thursday.

Trump, who is the Republican front-runner for the 2024 presidential nomination, testified in a New York court for only a matter of minutes. During his testimony, Trump said of Carroll's sexual assault allegations: "She said something I considered a false accusation," according to Inner City Press reporter Matthew Russell Lee, who is covering the trial.

Lee said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, objected to Trump's statement, which Judge Kaplan sustained.

Prior to Trump testifying, Judge Kaplan warned that the former president was not to deny Carroll's allegations as a jury already weighed in on them.

"There was a trial last year regarding the truth or falsity to Ms. Carroll's claim that Mr. Trump sexually assaulted her," the judge said. "The jury unanimously concluded that he sexually assaulted her and his claim that he did not was false and defamatory."

Kaplan said: "There are no do-overs," adding that "a prior action can not be relitigated."

When the judge asked Trump's lawyer Alina Habba to confirm the former president was "aware of the strict confines" to his testimony, Habba said "Yes." Trump said: "I don't know who this woman is, never met this woman."

While on the witness stand, Trump said he "100 percent" stood by the deposition he gave in 2022 when he called Carroll's allegations a "hoax" and a "con job."

The former president was also asked if he ever instructed anyone to hurt Carroll, to which he replied, "No."

Newsweek reached out to Trump's and Carroll's lawyers as well as Trump's campaign via email for comment.

Last week, the trial began to determine how much Trump will pay Carroll, a former Elle columnist, for defaming her. Carroll filed a lawsuit against Trump in 2019, claiming that Trump accused her of lying when she came forward with sexual assault allegations. She accused Trump in 2019 of raping her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s.

A jury in a civil trial found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation last May in another defamation case that Carroll filed in 2022. Trump has maintained his innocence in both lawsuits and continues to deny that he sexually assaulted Carroll. He has claimed that the case is politically motivated, like the four criminal cases and one other civil case he is facing.

Update 1/25/24, 4:39 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.