E. Jean Carroll's allegations are "a big fat hoax," she's "not my type in any way, shape or form," her lawyer is a "disgrace," and the notorious "Access Hollywood" tape was just "locker room talk" — but former President Donald Trump's comments about stars are "largely true."
These were some of the statements Trump made during his hourslong deposition in Carroll's lawsuit against him in October.
Trump decided not to take the witness stand in the trial over Carroll's lawsuit alleging that he raped her in a department store in the 1990s and then defamed her by saying she made up the claims to make money. But portions of the former president's sworn deposition were played for the jury by Carroll's lawyer Wednesday and Thursday.
Here are some of the notable moments.
'Pure fiction'
Throughout the deposition, Trump repeatedly denied Carroll's claims, calling them "pure fiction."
"It didn't take place," he said.
Asked if he stood by public statements he'd made accusing Carroll of making up the story for financial and political reasons, Trump said that he did. But when asked if he had any basis for those assertions about her motivations when he first made them in 2019 while president, Trump said, "I don't know."
"It's a big fat hoax" and a "total con job," he said during the deposition, calling Carroll a "whacko" who's "not my type."
'Access Hollywood'
Trump was played the notorious “Access Hollywood" tape, on which he was caught on a hot mic boasting about how he could grope and kiss women sexually without waiting for their consent.
In the video, Trump can be heard saying, “I’m automatically attracted to beautiful women — I just start kissing them, it’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything,” he said, including “grab 'em by the p----.”
The 2005 video became public in the final weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign and prompted widespread condemnation.
Trump confirmed in his deposition that he made the comments, and reiterated what he said during the campaign — that it was "locker room talk."
Asked about the content of his remarks, he said, “Well, historically, that’s true with stars.”
“True with stars that they can grab women" by their privates? Carroll’s lawyer Roberta Kaplan asked.
“Well, that’s what — if you look over the last million years, I guess that’s been largely true. Not always, but largely true. Unfortunately or fortunately,” Trump said.
Asked if he considered himself a star, Trump responded, “I think you can say that, yeah.”
'Swooned'
Kaplan also asked Trump about a post on his social media platform, in which he wrote that Carroll was claiming Trump had “swooned her” inside the store, and asked him what he meant.
Trump said he was referring to “an act that she said happened, which didn’t happen. And it’s nicer than the word that starts with F.”
“I thought it would be inappropriate to use the other word,” he added.
Asked again about the word swoon, which Kaplan defined as “to faint with extreme emotion,” Trump said, “Well, sort of that’s what she said I did to her. She fainted with great emotion. She actually indicated that she loved it, OK? She loved it until commercial break. In fact, I think she said it was sexy, didn’t she? She said it was very sexy to be raped. Didn’t she say that?” Trump continued, before indicating he was referring to Carroll’s 2019 interview on CNN with Anderson Cooper.
In that interview, Carroll said that what Trump did to her “hurt” and was “not sexual.” When Cooper said that most people think of rape as a violent assault, she responded, “Most people think of rape as sexy. Think of the fantasies.” She said she preferred the word “fight” to the word "rape."
Lawyer bashing
In addition to frequently insulting Carroll, Trump also took a shot at her attorney. He told Kaplan that her client "is accusing me of rape, of raping her, the worst thing you can do, the worst charge."
"And you know it's not true, too," the clearly angry Trump continued. "You're a political operative also. You're a disgrace. But she is accusing me, and so are you, of rape, and it never took place."
Marital mix-up
Trump had said he’d never met Carroll, but inadvertently indicated she had a familiar face when shown a picture of himself with her, his then-wife Ivana Trump and Carroll’s then-husband, a local TV anchorman. Carroll testified the picture was taken in 1987, years before the alleged attack.
“It’s Marla,” Trump said when shown the photo, pointing at Carroll but referring to his second wife, Marla Maples. “That’s Marla, yeah. That’s my wife,” he continued before being corrected by his lawyer, Alina Habba. “No, that’s Carroll,” Habba said.
Trump then said the picture was “very blurry.”
Asked by Kaplan if his three wives were his “type,” Trump said, “Yeah.”
Time lapses
While Trump's attorneys have hammered Carroll for her inability to remember the exact year of the alleged attack, Trump had problems recalling some major milestones in his life, including when and how long he was married to each of his three wives.
He said he and his first wife were married in "about '78 to the early 90s." The couple married in 1977 and divorced in 1990.
Asked when he married Maples, Trump said, "I'd have to get the exact dates for you. I can do that very easily."
Trump was married to Maples at the time of the alleged rape.
Asked when he married his current wife, Melania Trump, he replied. “I don’t want to even give you the answer. I’m not going to dignify it.”
'Lapover'
Asked if he was seeing women outside of his marriage to his first wife, Trump — whose relationship with Maples was regularly splattered across the front pages of the New York City tabloids during the late 1980s — replied, "I don't know."
Pressed on whether he'd been public about his relationship with Maples while he was still married to Ivana Trump, he said, "I don't think I was public about it."
Asked again if he and Maples had been dating before his divorce, he maintained, "I don't know, really. It could be a lapover," he said, apparently referring to an overlap, "but I don't really know."
