One conservative called the decision the result of «a decades old allegation from a crazy person.»
The nine-person jury made the decision in less than three hours, reaching a mixed verdict that did not include a rape conviction. Carroll was also awarded $5 million in total damages for her claims against Trump, with $2 million in compensatory damages for the battery claim.
The jury also determined that Trump defamed Carroll when he called her allegations a «con job» in an October 2022 Truth Social post. Closing arguments occurred Monday.
Trump issued a two-sentence, all-caps rebuttal to the conviction on his Truth Social account: «I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE — A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!»
When the verdict broke during a live Fox News segment, guest Ronna McDaniel—the chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC)—focused not on Trump being found liable but on Democrats’ policies.
«I do think the American people, though, are going to be focused on what’s happening at our southern border, what’s happening with inflation, what’s happening in their lives under the Biden administration,» McDaniel said. «That’s where I think the focus is going to continue to be for people looking at 2024 and ahead.»
GOP Senator Bill Hagerty told Fox News’ Neil Cavuto that the verdict «is just the latest act» of the «legal circus in Manhattan.»
«I don’t think this is having an impact on the American public’s viewpoint,» Hagerty said, mentioning the U.
