Trump falsely claims he’s “not allowed to speak or defend” himself — after no-showing trial

Former President Donald Trump falsely claimed on Tuesday that he was “not allowed to speak or defend” himself in the civil rape trial brought against him by longtime columnist E. Jean Carroll. 

The trial, in which Carroll accused the former president of sexually assaulting and subsequently defaming her, is drawing to a close on Tuesday as jurors begin deliberations.

“Waiting for a jury decision on a False Accusation where I, despite being a current political candidate and leading all others in both parties, am not allowed to speak or defend myself, even as hard nosed reporters scream questions about this case at me,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday. “In the meantime, the other side has a book falsely accusing me of Rape, & is working with the press. I will therefore not speak until after the trial, but will appeal the Unconstitutional silencing of me, as a candidate, no matter the outcome!”

Trump has not stopped commenting on the case despite warnings from the judge and chose to not appear at the trial. The former president last week claimed he was going back to New York to “confront” Carroll but blew through the judge’s Sunday deadline to file a motion to request to testify. 

Former U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance mocked Trump’s claim on Twitter.

“Narrator: Trump was not only allowed to speak & chose not to, but was given a second chance by the judge after all of the evidence closed,” she wrote.

Roberta Kaplan, a lawyer for Carroll, argued during her closing statements on Monday that Trump’s inability to show face at the trial rendered him “a witness against himself.” 

Michael Ferrera, another of Carroll’s attorneys, said Trump “just decided not to be here. He never looked you in the eye and denied raping Ms. Carroll.”

Trump attempted to invalidate Carroll’s allegations ahead of her testimony, calling her claims a “made up SCAM” on Truth Social.

“I hope you’re more successful because we are getting into an area, conceivably, in which your client may or may not be tampering with a new source of potential liability,” the judge warned Tacopina after Trump’s posts.