In the aftermath of a jury finding that Donald Trump sexually abused and defamed E Jean Carroll, Fox News replayed a clip of the former president confusing Ms Carroll for his ex-wife at a pre-trial deposition.
Given that Mr Trump said at a different point during the deposition that Ms Carroll “wouldn’t be my type in any way, shape, or form”, the fact that he confused her for a person he married raised eyebrows.
“That’s Marla,” Mr Trump said, looking at a picture of Ms Carroll. “Yeah. That’s my wife.”
Mr Trump was then informed that he was not looking at a picture of his ex-wife Marla Maples, but of Ms Carroll instead.
The jury in the civil case pursued by Ms Carroll reportedly heard the tape of Mr Trump’s misidentification – as did Fox News’s audience in the aftermath of the jury’s finding that the former president was liable for sexually abusing and defaming Ms Carroll.
“The last person you would want to confuse her with would be someone you married,” former federal prosecutor Andy McCarthy said when asked about the impact Mr Trump’s statement might have had on jurors.
Mr Trump, who is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president, has been ordered to pay Ms Carroll $5m for sexually abusing her a dressing room nearly three years ago at a Manhattan department store.
The jury did not find that Mr Trump raped Ms Carroll, as she has claimed, but the finding is nevertheless remarkable in that it comes against an ex-president who may yet serve as president again.
Ms Carroll is just one of a number of women who have made assault claims against Mr Trump.
“I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back,” Ms Carroll said in a statement following the verdict reported by The New York Times. “Today, the world finally knows the truth. This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed.”
