Donald Trump was facing this week another trial that this time stemmed from civil claims made by writer E. Jean Carroll of defamation. The judge already established liability around the claims, and a jury was deciding just the question of what level of penalty to impose on Trump. And amid all of this, the infamously antagonistic ex-president took to Truth Social (his knock-off social media site) to characterize the presiding judge as just too mean.
Trump was specifically complaining about the judge’s limits on what evidence could be presented, though again, the trial was not over whether Carroll’s underlying claims would be substantiated. The defamation and an underlying incident of sexual assault were to be taken as established in a (civil) context, limiting the openings for actual argument. (Carroll accused Trump of defamation after his antagonistic responses to an earlier account of assault she said he perpetrated in the 1990s.)
Trump also misrepresented the nature of the wannabe evidence he was pushing. Carroll did not call rape “sexy.” She characterized the perspective as something simply existent — a big difference from actually personally endorsing the take.
“Judge Kaplan refuses to allow the Anderson Cooper Interview on CNN of E. Jean Carroll wherein Carroll says, “Rape is sexy,” and numerous other things that totally exonerate me,” Trump raged. “Judge Kaplan is refusing me my Constitutional Right to Due Process, to defend myself against this False Accusation. This is a one-sided trial, where the other side is allowed everything, and we are allowed nothing. He is an extremely abusive individual, the likes of which few have seen before!”
This from the guy half-known for being a loudmouth towards about every target — personal, professional, or political — one could imagine. It’s untrue that Trump’s opportunities for due process were stripped. Like in any other courtroom setting, he simply can’t just say or do whatever! Courtroom proceedings instead are strictly controlled.
