E. Jean Carroll, writer and journalist, spoke out on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” about her victory in her defamation case against former President Donald Trump Monday night. The case stems from an allegation made by Carroll in her memoir in which she accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in the mid-1990s. In response, Trump denied the allegation and publicly insulted Carroll. Last week, a New York court ruled that Trump’s comments about Carroll were defamatory.
During her appearance on the show, Carroll spoke about her experience facing Trump during the trial. Despite her initial fear, she revealed that Trump was powerless in the courtroom. “He was nothing. He was without,” Carroll said. “He was like a walrus snorting, and like a rhino flopping his head.” The writer went on to say that the people around Trump were the ones giving him power, and that he himself was “a phantom.”
Carroll’s lawyers, Roberta Kaplan and Shawn Crowley, also joined her on the show and praised their client’s bravery. “This team of brilliant young people have, as you said, stood up to the man,” Carroll said of her legal team. “He can be knocked down twice by this woman right here.”
The case has been hailed as an important victory for survivors of sexual assault, as it sends a message that powerful men cannot use their influence to silence their accusers. “This decision recognizes that women are not going to be silenced,” Kaplan said. “We’re not going to be shut up. We’re not going to be told to go away.”
Carroll has become a prominent figure in the #MeToo movement and has been praised for her bravery in coming forward about her alleged assault by Trump. Throughout the trial, she remained steadfast in her testimony despite attempts by Trump’s legal team to discredit her. “I have more strength now than I ever thought I had,” Carroll said. “I feel like dancing in the streets. I feel as though I have triumphed.”
The verdict in the case has also been a blow to Trump’s attempts to maintain his post-presidential influence. In recent months, he has faced mounting legal challenges and criticism from both sides of the political aisle. The defamation case brought by Carroll represents just one of the many roadblocks in his attempts to remain a political force.