After being slapped with a staggering $83.3 million in damages for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll, former President Donald Trump has maintained relative silence, save for a few fiery social media posts. Carroll, however, broke her own silence in a recent appearance on CNN alongside her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan.
During the interview with CNN anchors Poppy Harlow and Phil Mattingly, Carroll shared her emotions about facing Trump in court, marking the first time she had encountered the ex-president in person since the alleged assault in 1996. She described the apprehension she felt in the days leading up to the courtroom encounter, highlighting the support and strength provided by her lawyer. Carroll revealed her initial fear and anxiety, recounting sleepless nights and loss of appetite as she mentally prepared to testify against Donald Trump.
Once in the courtroom, Carroll’s perspective shifted dramatically. When Kaplan addressed her and asked her to state her name, Carroll observed Trump as a mere shell of the powerful figure she had anticipated. She described him as having no power, reduced to zero in her eyes. Despite making eye contact with Trump multiple times during the proceedings, Carroll likened him to an emperor without clothes, emphasizing his lack of substance and significance.
Carroll expressed her surprise at the stark contrast between her expectations and the reality of facing Trump in court. Having braced herself for a confrontation with one of the most powerful and wealthy individuals, she found him to be nothing more than a figure propped up by those around him. In her comparison, Carroll invoked Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale of the emperor without clothes, highlighting the perception that people contribute to Trump’s influence, much like the subjects in the fable who pretended the emperor wore invisible garments.
Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s lawyer, also weighed in on the courtroom dynamics. She described her thoughts when Trump abruptly left the courtroom, seeing it as a strategic misstep on his part. Kaplan believed that Trump’s departure, especially in a case centered on adherence to rules and avoiding bullying behavior, would likely result in a more favorable outcome for Carroll, potentially leading to increased damages.
The legal battle stems from Carroll’s allegations of sexual abuse against Trump, with the former president vehemently denying any knowledge of her and launching personal attacks that Carroll claims damaged her professional standing and reputation. Trump was found liable for the allegations in May, marking a significant legal victory for E. Jean Carroll.
Carroll: I hadn’t seen him since he assaulted me in the dressing room. And preparing to see him was terrifying. The days leading up, Robbie brought me around stronger and stronger, it was so… I hadn’t slept, I hadn’t eaten, I couldn’t think, I lost my language when she was trying to prepare me to go, to do testimony in front of Donald Trump. And then when we were in the courtroom, and Robbie went to the lectern, she said, “Good morning, E. Jean. Please state your name and spell it for the jury, for the court.”
And there he was, and he was nothing. Just, no power. He had, he was zero. I was flabbergasted. And from then on, we just sailed through. She brought me in. She said, “Say your name.” And I just looked at Robbie, saw he was nothing, and came up from there.
Harlow: Did you did you make eye contact with him?
Carroll: Many times.
Harlow: And what was that like?
Carroll: He’s an emperor without clothes. It’s like looking at nothing. It was like nothing.
She later said:
I had been prepared for the worst force, you know, on the earth today, the most powerful, the most effective, the most money, the richest, the most, you know. And there he is, he’s nothing! It’s just the people around him who give him the power. It’s the emperor without clothes. It’s Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale. People just gave him clothes when he wasn’t wearing any, remember the fairy tale? So that’s Donald Trump.
Kaplan also described her thoughts when Trump stormed out of the courtroom:
[T]he judge said something, he told me that, he told the whole courtroom that he’d gotten up and left and walked out. And I thought to myself, “Whoa.” Like in a case about whether you can follow the rules or not, and you cannot be a bully, not following the rules and acting like a bully is not a good move. So I thought to myself, like, okay, that’s just going to give us more money. Honestly.
