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Former President Donald Trump struggled to find the name of a witness from the E. Jean Carroll case as he spoke to reporters in New York City on Friday.
Shortly after claiming his 2024 election rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, was having "a bad time" in the election because she "can't talk," Trump fumbled through notecards looking for the witness' name.
The Republican presidential candidate was speaking after calling for a new trial over claims he sexually abused Carroll in the 1990s and defamed her, which he was found guilty of in 2023 and 2024, respectively. After attacking the writer's claims and stating he could sue her for defamation, Trump said two case witnesses had helped fabricate Carroll's story.
"Two witnesses, one is named Jessica Leeds. Again, you can't get rid of her," Trump said at the news conference held at Trump Tower in Manhattan.
Leeds claimed Trump groped her on an airplane in the late 1970s, which the former president denied, adding, "This story has followed me for years."
"Then you have another one, and this one is a writer for People magazine, who I actually thought was very nice," Trump continued.
"Her name...was...whoever. Let's say...her name was, who?" Trump said as he looked through note cards. "I don't know her name. I don't have it."
The woman Trump was trying to remember was Natasha Stoynoff, a writer at People who reported on The Apprentice host. In 2005, Stoynoff interviewed him and his wife, Melania Trump, at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
She accused Trump of attacking her during that visit, writing for People in 2016: "We walked into that room alone, and Trump shut the door behind us. I turned around, and within seconds, he was pushing me against the wall and forcing his tongue down my throat."
During the press conference, Trump seemed to not remember Stoynoff's name but denied her accusations. His attorneys have argued that both women's testimony should be inadmissible.
The Republican's fumble with notecards came after he repeatedly attacked former rival Joe Biden for using a teleprompter at his events. He also accused Harris of using notes during her interview with CNN last month, saying, "That means she knew the questions. And she had notes. I know all about notes."
The claims were fact-checked and denied by the outlet.
The hearing Trump had just come from Friday wrapped up after 25 minutes without a decision on whether a new trial could occur. A decision is unlikely before November's presidential election.
Elsewhere in New York on Friday, Judge Juan Merchan handed Trump a big legal win, postponing the sentencing for his New York fraud conviction until after the 2024 election.
Update, 9/6/2024 at 2:21 p.m. ET: The headline was changed.
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About the writer
Dan Gooding is a Newsweek reporter based in New York City. His focus is reporting on immigration and border security. ... Read more