Hubba on Thursday sought to dismiss the case on the grounds that the threatening messages targeting Carroll, which have been circulated in the case, began on social media before Trump’s 2019 comments. His request was rejected.
Jurors were shown Trump’s October 2022 statement, during which he mistook a photo of Carroll for his former wife Marla Maples, casting doubt on his claim that Carroll was not his “type”.
Last year, another federal jury found Trump liable for sexually assaulting Carroll in a department store dressing room in 1996 and then defaming her in 2022 when he called her a “complete fraud.”
Trump was in court while campaigning ahead of the New Hampshire primary, in which he easily won over his only remaining opponent, Nikki Haley, as he moves closer to becoming the Republican nominee against Biden in the November election.
