Trump, in deposition, doubles down on 'Access Hollywood' remarks about grabbing women
Former President Donald Trump, who said in the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape that "when you're a star, you can do anything" to women, doubled down on those remarks in the just-released deposition he gave in the E. Jean Carroll defamation and battery case.
Evidence from the trial, including Trump's October 2022 deposition, was released Friday, a day after both sides rested their case following a week of testimony.
Carroll, who brought the lawsuit in November, alleges that Trump defamed her in his Truth Social post by calling her allegations "a Hoax and a lie" and saying "This woman is not my type!" when he denied her claim that Trump raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1990s.
The former Elle magazine columnist added a charge of battery under a recently adopted New York law that allows adult survivors of sexual abuse to sue their alleged attacker regardless of the statute of limitations. Trump has denied all allegations that he raped Carroll or defamed her.
In the 2005 "Access Hollywood" video, which surfaced during the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump is overheard boasting to then-host Billy Bush about grabbing and kissing women without consent.
"You know, I'm automatically attracted to beautiful -- I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait," Trump says on the tape, which was played for the jury. "And when you're a star they let you do it ... You can do anything."
"Whatever you want," another voice on the tape is heard saying.
"Grab them by the p----," Trump says. "You can do anything."
During the deposition last October, Carroll's attorneys quoted the video to Trump then asked, "That's what you said, correct?"
"Well, historically, that's true with stars," Trump replied.
"It's true with stars that they can grab women by the p----?" Trump was asked.
"Well, if you look over the last million years, I guess that's been largely true," Trump said. "Not always, but largely true. Unfortunately, or fortunately."
"And you consider yourself to be a star?" Trump was asked.
"I think you can say that, yeah," he said.
Closing statements in the civil trial are scheduled for Monday. The judge is then expected to charge the jury on Tuesday, followed by the start of deliberations.
Jurors will first be asked to decide whether Carroll proved that Trump committed a battery. If so, the jury would be asked to decide what kind -- forcible touching, sex abuse or rape -- and then consider compensatory and punitive damages.
The jury would then move to Carroll's defamation claim and decide whether Trump's October 2022 social media post about Carroll was made with actual malice.
This month's trial is taking place as Trump seeks the White House for a third time, while facing numerous legal challenges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, his handling of classified material after leaving the White House, and possible attempts to interfere in Georgia's 2020 vote.
