Following his victory in the Iowa Caucus, former President Donald Trump made his way to a New York City courtroom to face a second case brought by E. Jean Carroll, encompassing charges of defamation and sexual assault, for which he has already been held liable. This legal battle unfolded against the backdrop of Trump’s relentless social media tirade, launched just hours before his appearance in court, where he targeted Carroll, a former magazine writer and, notably, a rape victim according to the ruling by Judge Lewis Kaplan.
Trump’s social media posts on Truth Social featured a series of comments and clips aimed at discrediting Carroll and her allegations. What stands out is Trump’s audacious defense, claiming to have been an “A-List celebrity for many decades.” This defense is particularly striking given that he has already been found liable for the very allegations he seeks to dismiss.
On Truth Social, Trump argued:
“The only right, honest, and lawful thing that Clinton-appointed Judge Lewis Kaplan can do is to end this unAmerican injustice being done to a President of the United States. I have been considered an A-List celebrity for many decades, so even decades ago, it would have been impossible for me to walk into a crowded department store without being written about on Page Six and every other outlet at the time.”
In a subsequent post, he continued:
“She changed her FALSE ‘Monica Lewinsky-type’ story on the DRESS after it was proven to have no connection to me. She has been ‘all over the place’ on the timing of this alleged ‘incident,’ which never took place. I am the only one who has been injured by this attempted EXTORTION. It is my duty to America to right this egregious wrong, a case which was started based on no facts, no dates, no nothing, just fabricated lies and political shenanigans.”
In a three-part social media thread, he concluded:
“My lawyer said in the first ‘trial’ that it was ‘beneath me’ as a President of the United States to attend the first trial. Judge Kaplan should put this whole corrupt, Crooked Joe Biden-directed Election Interference attack on me immediately to rest. He should do it for America because a President of the United States was accused of doing something he did not do by an UNKNOWN, TO HIM, woman seeking fame, fortune, and publicity for her ridiculous Book!”
This strategy of deflecting blame and discrediting his accuser is not unfamiliar to those familiar with Trump’s history of inflammatory rhetoric. What makes this instance particularly perplexing is his reliance on the claim of being an A-List celebrity in the ’90s, a period when his national celebrity status was not as prominent. Trump’s elevation to A-list fame came later with his involvement in The Apprentice, making his alibi seem implausible.
Despite these inconsistencies, Trump remains the presumptive favorite in the GOP, despite having been found liable for the serious charges brought against him. The unfolding events underscore the contentious nature of his legal battles and the impact they may have on his political future.
