Former US President Donald Trump has called his civil rape trial a “political attack”, based on the “false accusations” of a woman he calls “false”.
He repeated his denials of accusations of rape and defamation by author E Jean Carroll, while golfing at his Trump Doonbeg resort in Co Clare, Ireland.
Asked by Sky News if he would attend the rape trial, which he has not to date, Trump replied: “I will probably attend [the trial] and I think it’s a shame that this is happening, false accusations against a rich man, or in my case against a famous, rich, political person.”
Carroll, 79, says Trump raped her in the dressing room of a Bergdorf Goodman department store in the mid-1990s and then defamed her by lying about it online.
The civil trial is in its second week in federal court in New York.
At the start of the trial, Carroll told the court, “I’m here because donald trump raped me, and when I wrote about it, he lied and said it didn’t happen.
“He lied and shattered my reputation, and I’m here trying to get my life back.”
Carroll said during three days of testimony and pointed cross-examination that Trump pinned her against the wall before raping her in 1995 or 1996.
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She said the encounter was “extremely painful”, adding: “As I sit here today, I can still feel it.
“It made me unable to have a romantic life again.”
Yesterday the court heard Trump describe his claims as a ‘scammer’ and a ‘hoax’ in a video deposition.
On the golf course, he repeated his belief that he had been “falsely accused”.
Trump at Turnberry Golf Course
“I’m going back to New York,” he said.
“I was falsely accused by this woman, I have no idea who she is – it’s ridiculous.”
He said he had to cut short his trip to Ireland because of the trial, adding: “I will be going home early because a woman has made a completely false claim, it’s false. It’s a false…it’ is a Democrat.”
Trump said he was going to “go back and confront this woman” and that his rape allegation was politically motivated.
“This is a political attack,” he said.
“It’s the only way for them to win the election because [Democrat Joe] Biden is losing.
“He’s down 11 – and my Republican opponent is down 45 – he’s gone.”
Earlier, when asked by Sky News if he wanted a rematch with Mr Biden in the 2024 US presidential election, Trump replied “Yeah, definitely. It’s a rematch I would win three times .”
He is expected to leave the seaside resort of Doonbeg and fly out of Ireland from Shannon Airport later today.
