Former US president Donald Trump has described his civil rape trial as a “political attack”, based on the “false accusations” of a woman he describes as “a fake”.
He repeated his denials of the charges of rape and defamation by author E Jean Carroll, as he played golf at his Trump Doonbeg resort in Ireland’s Co Clare.
Asked by Sky News if he would attend the rape trial, which he has not to date, Trump replied: “I will probably attend [the trial] and I think it’s a disgrace that it’s allowed to happen, false accusations against a rich guy, or in my case against a famous, rich and political person.”
Carroll, 79, says Trump raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in the mid-1990s, and then defamed her by lying about it online.
The civil trial is in its second week at a federal court in New York.
In the early part of the trial, Carroll told the court: “I’m here because Donald Trump raped me, and when I wrote about it, he lied and said it didn’t happen.
“He lied and shattered my reputation, and I’m here to try and get my life back.”
Carroll said during three days of testimony and pointed cross-examination that Trump had slammed her against the wall before raping her in either 1995 or 1996.
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She said the encounter had been “extremely painful”, adding: “As I’m sitting here today I can still feel it.
“It left me unable to ever have a romantic life again.”
Yesterday, the court heard Trump describe her claims as a “con” and a “hoax” in a video deposition.
On the golf course, he repeated his conviction that he had been “falsely accused”.
“I’m going back to New York,” he said.
“I was falsely accused by this woman, I have no idea who she is – it’s ridiculous.”
He said he is having to cut his trip to Ireland short because of the trial, adding: “I’ll be going back early because a woman made a claim that is totally false, it’s fake. She’s a fake.. she’s a democrat.”
Trump said he is going to “go back and confront this woman”, and that her rape allegation is politically motivated.
“This is a political attack,” he said.
“This is the only way they think they can win the election because [Democrat Joe] Biden is losing.
“He’s down by 11 – and my Republican opponent is down by 45 – he’s disappeared.”
Earlier, when asked by Sky News if he wanted a rematch with Mr Biden in the 2024 US presidential election, Trump replied “I do, I certainly do. That’s a rematch I would win three times.”
He is expected to leave the Doonbeg resort and fly out of Ireland from Shannon Airport later today.