Trump's Trials - A day after trouncing the competition in Iowa, Trump is back in court

Episode Date: January 16, 2024

For this episode of Trump's Trials, NPR's Juana Summers speaks to NPR's Andrea Bernstein.A day after winning the Iowa caucuses by nearly 30 points, former President Donald Trump appeared in a Manhattan courtroom to face a second defamation lawsuit brought by writer E. Jean Carroll. Last year, a jury found that Trump sexually abused Carroll in the 1990s and ordered Trump to pay her $5 million for defaming her in recent years. This second case centers around additional comments Trump made about Carroll that have already been deemed defamatory by a judge. Carroll is seeking ten million dollars in addition to what she was already awarded last year. Topics include:- Trump back in the courtroom - A breakdown of Carroll's claims- A look at what comes next Follow the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify for new episodes each Saturday.Sign up for sponsor-free episodes and support NPR's political journalism at plus.npr.org/trumpstrials.Email the show at [e-mail] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This is Trump's Trials from NPR. I'm Scott Detrow. We love Trump! This is a persecution. He actually just stormed out of the courtroom. Innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Our regular episodes come out every Saturday, but there's some news in one of former President Trump's cases today. So we're going to share a story that just aired on NPR. And then we'll be back with more in our usual episode on Saturday.

Thanks for listening. changes in energy and strength. Solgar Cellular Nutrition is a holistic collection of cellular nutrients formulated to help fight cellular decline and promote cell health. Learn more at cellularnutrition.solgar.com. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. You're listening to Trump's Trials. I'm Scott Detrow. And now here's Juana Summers. Last night, former President Donald Trump won the Iowa caucus. And today he sat in a Manhattan courtroom as a judge told potential jurors in a defamation case that Trump had already been found last summer to have sexually abused the writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s. This defamation trial could last

three to five days, and Trump could end up paying Carroll more than the $5 million that he was ordered to pay her last May. NPR's Andrea Bernstein was in court today, and she joins us now from a coffee shop near the courthouse. Hey, Wena. So, Andrea, tell us what it was like in court today. What did you see and hear? So, this is now the third trial I've been to where Trump or his company has been a defendant. But the first time that the president will be judged by a jury of his peers. So there was a real drama in the jury selection. There were the usual questions. Do you personally know the defendant, Donald Trump, or the plaintiff, E. Jean Carroll?

But also the jurors were asked, have you been to a Trump rally? One person said yes. Do you believe that the 2020 election was stolen? A couple of prospective jurors raised their hands. Have you ever worked for the campaign of Obama, Clinton, or Joe Biden? One of the prospective jurors said she'd made phone calls for Joe Biden in 2020. None of those people were selected, but former President Trump was in the courtroom and was really craning his neck and really scrutinizing the prospective jurors who were answering the questions. And as we mentioned, Trump was previously ordered to pay Carroll $5 million.

So this defamation case, what's at stake here? So this is the second of two trials. The first trial, where Trump was found liable, was over a statement that he made in 2022, where he called Carol a liar. That case was also about the existence of the assault under a New York law that lasted for the year 2022, the Adult Survivors Act.

This case is for an earlier incident in 2019 while Trump was president. For complex legal reasons, this one is just coming to trial. But stay with me. Because it was already established that Trump forced himself on E. Jean Carroll and that he lied about it, the only issue in this case is how much Trump will have to pay for calling her a liar, saying he didn't know her, and saying, quote, she's not my type. I understand that there were opening statements. What did the lawyers, both Carroll's and Trump's, have to say? Plaintiff's attorney, Sean Crowley, said, quote, of Donald Trump, he was the president. He used the world's biggest microphone to attack Ms. Carroll, to humiliate her. Everything that she said was a lie. Crowley said Trump supporters sent E. Jean Carroll rape threats after he made his statements about

her and death threats and that Donald Trump had, quote, set them in motion. And Crowley said, quote, they should make Donald Trump to pay to make him stop that, quote, his lies continue to this day, literally today. And indeed, while his case was going on, he posted 22 times on social media, again, calling her a liar. Trump's lawyers, meanwhile, argue that Carol got what she wanted, more fame. Quote, she wants a windfall because on social media, some people said some mean things about her. And Andrea, as we mentioned, this trial couldn't last from three to five days. So pitch us forward. What happens tomorrow? So tomorrow we will hear from E. Jean Carroll.

She will talk about the effect, her lawyers say, of Trump's remarks on her career. The next witnesses that we'll hear from include her former editor-in-chief at Elle magazine, an expert witness on damages. And then it will be the defense case, a friend of E. Jean Carroll's. And most likely next Monday, former President Trump will testify in his own defense. NPR's Andrea Bernstein, thank you. Thank you.

Thanks for listening to Trump's Trials from NPR. Keep an eye out for more episodes like this whenever big news happens. And we'll be back later this week with our Rake of the Show on Saturday. I'm Scott Detrow. Support for NPR and the following message come from SAP Concur, a leading brand for integrated travel expense and invoice management solutions.

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