Allegedly Raped by Donald Trump, Former Columnist: I Still Feel It, Makes It Unable to Have a Romantic Life Anymore

Donald Trump. (Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore)

JAKARTA - A writer on Wednesday detailed in civil court how Donald Trump allegedly raped her nearly 30 years ago, to determine whether the former President of the United States raped her and then lied about it.

E. Jean Carroll, 79, a former Elle magazine advice columnist, is seeking unrestricted damages from Trump, 76, who is competing in the Republican Party to run in the 2024 US Presidential Election.

"I'm here because Donald Trump raped me, and when I wrote about it, he lied and said it didn't happen," Carroll told jurors in Manhattan federal court, cited from Reuters, April 27.

"He lied and destroyed my reputation, and I'm here to try to get my life back," she continued.

Her lawsuit concerns an alleged encounter in a Bergdorf Goodman Department Store locker room in late 1995 or early 1996, where she says Trump raped her before she could escape.

Carroll testified that she had met Trump several years before the alleged rape, finding him "very friendly" and "a man who cares about the city."

At Bergdorf, Carroll recalled that she was about to leave the store when Trump recognized him and raised his hand. He stopped.

"He said, 'Hey, you're that advice woman,'" recalls Carroll. "I said, 'Hey, you're that real estate tycoon."

Carroll said Trump joked "jokingly" when he shopped for lingerie for other women.

She said Trump asked her to try on underwear, prompting her to joke that she should try it on.

Carroll said Trump then lured her into an open dressing room, closed the door, pushed her against the wall, and pulled down her tights. She choked and held back tears as he described pushing her back.

Trump's fingers "went into my privates, which was very painful, very painful," and he also "entered his privates," she said.

"As I sit here today, I can still feel it," she said.

"It keeps me from having a romantic life anymore," Carroll bitterly said.

Asked by her lawyer if she had told Trump "no", Carroll said "I may have said it" but could not remember.

She also said she blamed herself, and was afraid she would be fired and Trump would retaliate if she reported it.

Inspired by the #MeToo movement, Carroll came to the fore in 2019, and denied Trump's repeated statements that he didn't like his politics.

"I'm not solving political problems at all," Carroll said. "I'm settling personal issues because he's called me a liar over and over again, and it has completely destroyed my reputation."

She said Trump's attack caused Elle to fire her, cost her 8 million readers, and led others to believe she was a liar. Carroll broke down in tears when asked if he regretted ending his silence.

"I've regretted this about 100 times," she says, "but being able to finally have my day in court is finally everything to me."

Trump's lawyers are expected to question Carroll on Thursday, including her inability to remember when the alleged rape took place.