Former President Donald Trump criticized President Joe Biden as the “worst president” in U.S. history during a speech in Iowa. Trump’s comments came as he appeared in a New York City courtroom for a civil defamation trial, where he is facing allegations of sexually assaulting advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s. The trial follows a previous verdict in May, in which a federal jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation but not for rape, ordering him to pay $5 million in damages.
During his speech in Iowa, Trump compared Biden unfavorably to former President Jimmy Carter, stating that Carter now looks “brilliant by comparison.” Trump, who has been dominating the Iowa caucuses and solidifying his position as the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, later traveled to New York City to attend the trial. In a social media post, he expressed frustration at having to attend the trial instead of campaigning in New Hampshire, calling it a “witch hunt” and criticizing the judge as biased.
Trump plans to testify in his defense and has vehemently denied the allegations made by Carroll. Carroll, on the other hand, claims that Trump raped her at a department store in Manhattan in 1996. She filed a defamation lawsuit against Trump, alleging that his denial of the assault caused harm to her reputation. Trump’s legal team argues that Carroll’s allegations are fabricated and motivated by a desire to sell copies of her book.
In an exclusive interview, Trump told Digital that he has “absolutely no idea who this woman is” and called the verdict a “disgrace.” He believes that the trial is part of a political witch hunt against him. Meanwhile, Carroll, now 80 years old, plans to testify about the damage to her career and reputation caused by Trump’s public statements. She is seeking $10 million in compensatory damages and additional punitive damages.
This civil trial is the second one related to Carroll’s allegations against Trump. The first trial concluded in May, with the jury awarding Carroll $5 million in damages for defamation. However, they did not find sufficient evidence to support the claim of rape. The current trial is expected to last three to five days, and testimony is set to begin soon.
Brooke Singman, a political correspondent and reporter for Digital, Channel, and FOX Business, contributed to this report.
