The journalist E.
Jean Carroll testified yesterday (Wednesday) in her defamation and assault lawsuit against former President Donald Trump.
She testified in detail about the sexual assault, she claims, by Trump in the 1990s, in a dressing room at a chain store in Manhattan.
"I'm here because Donald Trump raped me, and when I wrote about it, he said it didn't happen," she said.
"He lied and ruined my reputation, and I'm here to get my life back."
Carol is suing Trump alleging that he raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman store dressing room in the spring of 1996 and then defamed her years later when she went public with her allegations.
Trump denies these things.
E. Jean Carroll arrives at the court in Manhattan (Photo: Reuters)
Former President Donald Trump (Photo: Reuters)
On the witness stand, Carroll recalled how she was "excited" to shop with Trump and thought what a great story it would be to tell her friends.
"It was a fun New York scene," Carol said.
"I was happy to advise, and here is Donald Trump asking me for advice about buying a gift."
According to her, she was not at all afraid of Trump, who was nice and very funny.
"I was fascinated by him, I could only think about the great story I would have," Carol added.
The conversation between the two was also "light and entertaining", she said.
Carol said that she was so focused on Trump that she didn't notice anyone while the two went up to the first floor of the store: "I didn't look around. I looked at him and was careful not to fall down the escalator."
Carroll recalled that she apparently flirted with Trump all the time before the attack, and didn't think it was serious.
When the two reached the lingerie department, Carol said that "the comedy escalated" but that it never occurred to her that Trump would try to rape her.
Trump chose a see-through gray leotard and told her to try it on, Carroll jokingly replied that maybe he should try it on instead.
According to her, she had no intention of wearing the bodysuit, but she entered the dressing room after Trump ordered her to and thought it was a funny moment like in a "Saturday Night Live" sketch.
"I didn't imagine anything. The open cell door has been haunting me all these years because I just walked in."
Carol recalled how Trump pushed her against the wall even though she fought him and ended up inserting his fingers and penis into her.
She also told about the pain she felt in her head and body.
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Opponents of Trump outside the court (Photo: Reuters)
E. Jean Carroll on the witness stand (Photo: Reuters)
After a short break to recover, Carroll's attorney asked her what she did next.
While in tears and stuttering, she said that "I always think - I always think why I got into that situation. But I'm proud to say that I managed to get out, I raised my knee and pushed him away."
The attack, she said, lasted several minutes.
"This is going to sound strange, but I was too scared to be scared, I stamped my feet. My whole reason for living at that moment was to get out of that room. It was very stupid. It was sleep - I know there are people who have had far worse experiences but it left me - left me Unable to have a romantic life after that."
Carol recalled the constant pain she felt and how difficult it was for her to relax at night, however, she admitted she did not seek medical attention afterward.
"I was so upset, I didn't know who I was, I couldn't believe it happened to me."
She added that her friend Lisa Birenbach told her that what happened was not funny and that she had been raped and that she should report it to the police.
The two eventually agreed never to talk about it because Carol, according to her, felt ashamed because "I flirted with him and had fun, and he was really funny, but then it changed."
E. Jean Carroll arrives at the court in Manhattan (Photo: Reuters)
Trump opponents outside the court (Photo: Reuters)
The next day Carol went to work, where she told another friend named Carol Martin what had happened to her.
Martin warned her to never report the incident or talk about it because Trump would "bury" her through his legal team.
Carol agreed because she was afraid.
"I thought it was my fault," she said.
Carroll, who testified that she is a Democrat and that she thinks Trump has been a terrible president, said her political views are not related to the lawsuit.
She explained that she did not reveal her accusations immediately when Trump announced his candidacy for 2016. "I noticed that more and more women accused him publicly, as his position improved in the polls."
Before Carroll testified, former store manager Cheryl Beal testified for about an hour as Carroll's first eyewitness.
Bill worked at the luxury store for a decade until 1998, she had an office on the sixth floor next to the lingerie department.
She told the jury that the locker room door locked automatically when it closed and that the cubicles were usually closed,
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