Transcripts from Republican President Donald Trump's deposition after being accused of rape by journalist E. Jean Carroll reveal he mistakenly thought a photo of her from the 1990s was a photo of his ex-wife Marla Maples.
\u201cDonald Trump mistook his sexual assault accuser E. Jean Carroll for his ex-wife Marla Maples when shown a photograph from the 1990s in a deposition at Mar-a-Lago last year, potentially undermining one of the common defenses he has used to deny an attack. https://t.co/utMdRhEUQp\u201d— The Washington Post (@The Washington Post) 1674091325
Prior to the release of her book What Do We Need Men For?: A Modest Proposal, Carroll wrote in New York that Trump had sexually assaulted her in the fall of 1995 or the spring of 1996 in the Bergdorf Goodman department store in New York City.
Trump has denied he raped Carroll, saying she wasn't his "type." But during the deposition in October 2022, Trump was shown a 1987 photo that featured him, Carroll and her husband, and his then-wife Ivana Trump and told prosecutors, "It's Marla," referring to Maples, whom he didn't marry until 1993.
When Carroll's attorney Roberta Kaplan asked Trump whether he believed the woman he'd identified was Maples, he replied:
“That’s Marla, yeah. That’s my wife."
When Trump's attorney Alina Habba corrected him, he only said, "Oh, I see" before the deposition continued.
The transcripts also showed that Trump insulted Carroll more than once, referring to her as "a nutjob" and calling her "mentally unwell." He accused her of only accusing him of rape so she could sell her "crummy book."
Many have mocked Trump for potentially undermining his own defense.
\u201cThe moment his lawyers both choked on their waters, and face palmed themselves.\u201d— Brianna-nana (@Brianna-nana) 1674152182
\u201cSo, this means it was OK to rape his wife?! LOL. Didn't he notice that when he got up close and personal: "wait, you're not Marla, I'll stop now"\u201d— Tony D. Douglas (@Tony D. Douglas) 1674150031
\u201cAnd to think the idiot had the nuclear codes.\u201d— Pollyanna \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@Pollyanna \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1674139117
\u201cThis guy was President? He doesn't even know what his ex-wife looked like? So much for "she's not my type".\u201d— Lori (@Lori) 1674139407
\u201cLiar, stupid, or yes? #Trump #trumpisguilty\u201d— lynne e harrison (@lynne e harrison) 1674142868
\u201cThere goes his defense. Good.\u201d— NBE (@NBE) 1674149914
\u201cSo Trump continues to argue in his depo that he wouldn't rape E. Jean Carroll because she's not "his type." But when shown a picture of Carroll he mistakes her for his then wife Marla Maples.\n\nYou can't make this up.\u201d— Keith (@Keith) 1674136714
\u201c"She's not my type" is a horrible defense against rape to start with, but when your alleged victim looks like your ex-wife and you can't tell the difference between the two, she's definitely "your type".\u201d— D Villella \u2744\ufe0f (@D Villella \u2744\ufe0f) 1674137153
Carroll sued Trump for defamation and under the Adult Survivors Act, a a New York state law "that creates a one-time, one-year look back window for adult sexual assault survivors who are outside the statute of limitations," according to Safe Horizon, the largest victim services nonprofit organization in the United States.
According to the transcript, Trump threatened to "sue" Carroll's lawyer Roberta Kaplan and told her will "sue [Carroll] after this is over," which he called "the thing I really look forward to doing."
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