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E. Jean Carroll had just seven words for Donald Trump attorney Joe Tacopina after the jury's verdict in her victorious lawsuit against the former president: "He did it and you know it."
On Tuesday, the Manhattan jury of nine men and three women found the former president liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll and awarded her $5 million. They did not find him liable for rape.
Carroll had claimed in her lawsuit that Trump assaulted and raped her in a dressing room at a Bergdorf Goodman department store in the 1990s. Trump has denied any wrongdoing in the case and says he plans to appeal Tuesday's verdict. He repeatedly said he has "no idea" who Carroll is and called her allegations a "con job."
Earlier, there was much speculation about whether Trump would testify in the trial, but he never stepped foot in the courtroom. Asked what she would have said to Trump had she had the chance, Carroll told the Today show, "I said it to Joe Tacopina yesterday."
"[Tacopina] came over to congratulate me. He put out his hand and I said, 'He did it and you know it,'" Carroll said. "And then we shook hands and I walked past by."
Reached for comment, Trump's campaign team told Newsweek to refer to the campaign's Tuesday statement, which called the case "bogus" and said that the lawsuit was targeting him only because "he is now an overwhelming front-runner to be once again elected President of the United States."
Over the years, more than a dozen women have accused the former president of sexual misconduct, but Carroll's allegations are the only ones affirmed by a jury verdict.
On Wednesday, Carroll described being "overwhelmed with joy and happiness and delight for women in this country" after the jury's decision. She said she had not brought the case in hopes of being awarded damages but because she wanted to clear her name.
"This is not about the money," Carroll said. "This is about getting my name back."
A couple of hours later, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, "I HAVE NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN, WHO MADE A FALSE AND TOTALLY FABRICATED ACCUSATION, IS. HOPEFULLY JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED ON APPEAL!"
Outside the courthouse on Tuesday, Tacopina said his client intended to appeal the verdict, adding that the trial had been unfair because of a "highly prejudicial" judge and the use of an anonymous jury.
"There were things that happened in this case that were beyond the pale," the attorney said. "In New York, you can't get a fair trial."
Some Republicans have questioned whether the verdict will affect Trump's chances in the 2024 presidential race, but Tacopina told reporters on Tuesday he does not think the trial will affect his campaign. Trump is the front-runner in the GOP field, leading the rest of the pack by over 40 points, a Morning Consult poll released ahead of Tuesday's verdict showed.
Attorney Jamie White, who represented close to 100 sexual abuse victims in the case against Larry Nassar, the sports doctor who was sentenced to decades in prison for sexually assaulting gymnasts, previously told Newsweek that the $5 million in damages is unlikely to change Trump's day-to-day life. He added that "the political implications are the most damaging aspect of this verdict for Trump."
"Independent and moderate voters will view Trump differently after this verdict, even if his 37 percent base of support with the MAGA crowd stays unmoved," White said.
Update, 05/10/23, 11:09 a.m. ET: This story was updated with comments from Donald Trump's campaign.
About the writer
Katherine Fung is a Newsweek senior reporter based in New York City. She has covered U.S. politics and culture extensively. ... Read more