Former President Donald Trump announced he will skip his E. Jean Carroll trial to attend his mother-in-law’s funeral on Thursday.
According to Fox News, he stated, “As you know, the first lady’s mother passed away. The funeral is tomorrow and we would have assumed that for a trial like this, it’s not an emergency in terms of timing, the judge would have been very nice, and they would let me go.”
He went on, “Because I want to be at every trial day because I saw what happened in the first one where I was asked not to go by the lawyers very much — they said it’s demeaning, there was no evidence, there was no anything — and so I didn’t go.”
“So, it happened very terribly as we asked to just delay the trial for one day so I could go to the funeral tomorrow and then we could start Friday or Monday or any time they want,” he continued.
Trump noted the judge denied this request and stated that he would have to choose between defending himself in a court of law or being there for his wife after the loss of her mother.
“I thought it was terrible. I thought it was terrible,” Trump stated.
“That’s a nasty man. He’s a nasty judge. He’s a Trump-hating guy. And it’s obvious to everybody in the court it’s a disgrace, frankly, what’s happening. It’s a disgrace,” he added.
Last week, former First Lady Melania Trump posted the news of her mother’s passing on X, formerly Twitter. She stated, “It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved mother, Amalija.”
It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved mother, Amalija.
— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) January 10, 2024
Amalija Knavs was a strong woman who always carried herself with grace, warmth, and dignity. She was entirely devoted to her husband, daughters, grandson, and son-in-law. We will miss her beyond…
“Amalija Knavs was a strong woman who always carried herself with grace, warmth, and dignity. She was entirely devoted to her husband, daughters, grandson, and son-in-law,” she continued.
Then she noted, “We will miss her beyond measure and continue to honor and love her legacy.”
Trump has been in court as part of the civil defamation damages trial stemming from Carroll’s lawsuit claiming he sexually attacked her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s, Fox News reported.
The second trial comes after a federal jury in New York City decided in May that Trump was not liable for rape but was liable for sexual abuse and defamation. Trump has been ordered to pay $5 million.
Carroll, 79, alleged that Trump raped her at the Bergdorf Goodman department store across the street from Trump Tower in Manhattan sometime in 1996. According to Carroll, the two had a chance run-in at the store, where Trump was shopping for a gift for “a girl.” She said he asked for her advice, and the two shopped together before he pushed her into a dressing room and assaulted her, according to Fox News.