Donald Trump called the woman he sexually abused a liar “crazy work” and refused to say who wants to win the war in Ukraine in an extensive interview on US television.
A jury in a civil case ruled this week who assaulted — but did not rape — E Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room in the 1990s.
In an interview the day after the verdict, Mr Trump he again insisted it was a “false story” and mocked the magazine writer’s version of events.
“What kind of woman meets someone and brings it up and within minutes you’re playing hanky panky in a dressing room?” he said.
He also doubled down on his claim that the “Clinton-appointed” judge was biased and did not treat him fairly.
Mr Trump has been ordered to pay Ms Carroll $5m (£4m) in damages, which also includes damages for defaming her after she claimed to have fabricated the story.
His lawyer has confirmed that they will appeal. In both cases he will not face a prison sentence because it was not a criminal case.
When asked by the CNN interviewer if the verdict would dissuade women from voting for him, he replied, “No, I don’t think so.”
The former president was also questioned about his infamous remarks on a television show in 2005 in which he talked about grabbing women “by the p****.”
The comments also surfaced during the trial, and on Wednesday night’s “town hall” program he refused to apologize for them.
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Trump accuser: ‘It’s about getting my name back’
The 76-year-old said he wasn’t talking about himself, but generally about the power that comes with being a celebrity.
“They said ‘will you bring him back?’ I said, look, for a million years it’s been like this. I want to be honest, that’s how it’s been,” she told CNN.
Many women have accused the former president of sexual assault or harassment over the years, but he denies all allegations.
Read more: America is a place where there is now ‘immunity to the unacceptable’
War in Ukraine “over in 24 hours”
Mr. Trump was also questioned about the Ukraine war – and made bold claims about its peacemaking capabilities.
“If I am president, I will solve that war in one day, 24 hours,” he said, adding that he will meet with both President Putin and President Zelenskyy.
“Both have weaknesses and both have strengths and within 24 hours that war will be resolved. It will be over, it will absolutely be over,” Trump said.
He said Putin made a “mistake” by invading Ukraine and that it would not have happened had he still been in power.
However, he declined to say whether he thinks the Russian leader is a war criminal.
“If you say he’s a war criminal, it’s going to be a lot harder to make a deal to stop this thing,” he told the New Hampshire audience.
“If he becomes a war criminal, people will catch him and execute him, he will fight much harder than he is fighting in other circumstances.
“This is something to discuss at a later time.”
The International Criminal Court issued a warrant for Putin’s arrest earlier this year in a move denounced by Moscow.
Trump has said he will likely pardon many Capitol rioters if he regains power. photo: AP
Trump also declined to say who wants to win the war, despite being asked three times.
“I don’t think in terms of winning and losing. I think in terms of fixing things, so let’s stop killing all these people,” he said.
“Russians and Ukrainians, I want them to stop dying,” he added. “And I’ll do it in 24 hours.”
The interview also touched on the invasion of the US Capitol by its supporters in 2021.
Those shocking scenes in Washington erupted after he made false claims of vote-rigging, claims he repeated on Wednesday’s show.
He told host Kaitlan Collins that he will likely pardon many of the rioters if he beats Joe Biden and wins re-election next year.
“I’m inclined to forgive a lot of them. I can’t say for every one because a couple of them probably got out of control,” Trump said.
