E. Jean Carroll jury just delivered a big 'message' to Trump with its verdict: expert

A legal expert said Friday that the jury in Donald Trump's defamation trial wanted to deliver a very clear message when it hit him with a massive amount of damages.

The former president was ordered to pay $83.3 million after a civil jury sided with writer E. Jean Carroll as her lawyers described how the former president defamed her. Of that, $65 million was in punitive damages, which are meant to punish the defendant.

The substantial amount comes after Carroll had already been awarded damages of $5 million in an earlier defamation and sexual abuse trial last year.

In Friday's decision, former federal prosecutor Elie Honig believes the amount they came to — far greater than the $10 million her legal team initially sought — was intentionally high to send a strong message.

"This is a massive number, far in excess of anything I think anyone really expected —18 times the amount of the verdict in the first trial. ... [Her] lawyers explicitly asked the jury to send a message and that is what they have done," he said during an appearance on CNN's "The Lead" with Jake Tapper minutes after the verdict was reported.

Honig continued: “$60 million in punitive damages — that is a message to a person who essentially the jury says we don't think you can be deterred for anything less than this massive amount of money."

Trump has already vowed he will appeal.

"Absolutely ridiculous," he posted on Truth Social. "I fully disagree with both verdicts, and will be appealing this whole Biden Directed Witch Hunt focused on me and the Republican Party. Our Legal System is out of control, and being used as a Political Weapon. They have taken away all First Amendment Rights. THIS IS NOT AMERICA!"

His attorney Alina Habba also appeared before a scrum of reporters saying "there was no proof" and complained that her "experts were denied".

"We are seeing a violation of our justice system," she said.

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Honig also pointed out that, historically, Trump's success legally in the Empire State has been touch and go.

"The broad notion is that New York juries are not friendly to [former] President Trump, I think that's pretty clear," he said.

The sexual assault revelations came during Trump’s presidency when Carroll, now 80, claimed she was in a dressing room of a Bergdorf Goodman in 1996 when he attacked her.

She claims Trump since went on to publicly defame her, telling reporters “She’s not my type” and “Totally lying. I don’t know anything about her." “I know nothing about this woman. I know nothing about her. She is — it’s just a terrible thing that people can make statements like that.”

The latest trial involved defamatory comments he made while president, and are separate from the comments he was found liable for in his first trial. The judge had already found him liable the second time, and the jury was solely considering damages.

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Donald Trump continued his war on the Supreme Court early Monday, apparently still smarting from the bruising landmark 6-3 decision limiting his ability to levy tariffs that was handed down on Friday.

After lashing out at the six justices who did not bend to his will at an impromptu White House press conference, calling the ruling a “disgrace to our nation,” he opened up a new front and insisted the nation’s highest court had already given him free rein to do as he pleases.

On Truth Social, he wrote Monday, “The supreme court (will be using lower case letters for a while based on a complete lack of respect!) of the United States accidentally and unwittingly gave me, as President of the United States, far more powers and strength than I had prior to their ridiculous, dumb, and very internationally divisive ruling.”

He added, “For one thing, I can use Licenses to do absolutely 'terrible' things to foreign countries, especially those countries that have been RIPPING US OFF for many decades, but incomprehensibly, according to the ruling, can’t charge them a License fee - BUT ALL LICENSES CHARGE FEES, why can’t the United States do so? You do a license to get a fee! The opinion doesn’t explain that, but I know the answer! The court has also approved all other Tariffs, of which their [sic] are many, and they can all be used in a much more powerful and obnoxious way, with legal certainty, than the Tariffs as initially used.”

He then fired off another smear, writing, “Our incompetent supreme court did a great job for the wrong people, and for that they should be ashamed of themselves (but not the Great Three!). The next thing you know they will rule in favor of China and others, who are making an absolute fortune on Birthright Citizenship, by saying the 14th Amendment was NOT written to take care of the ‘babies of slaves,’ which it was as proven by the EXACT TIMING of its construction, filing, and ratification, which perfectly coincided with the END OF THE CIVIL WAR. How much better can you do than that?”

“But this supreme court will find a way to come to the wrong conclusion, one that again will make China, and various other Nations, happy and rich. Let our supreme court keep making decisions that are so bad and deleterious to the future of our Nation - I have a job to do. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” he concluded.

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President Donald Trump is expected to boast about his accomplishments Tuesday during his State of the Union address Tuesday, but according to one political analyst the event may turn into an “awkward” affair due to the president’s fury over the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on tariffs.

“It's gonna be a little awkward,” said White House Politico reporter Daniel Lippman during an appearance on Newsmax Monday.

“The Supreme Court justices, most of them will be there, and I remember when President [Barack] Obama was shaming the justices for various rulings and [Justice] John Roberts was not looking very happy. And so I think there's going to be a lot of cameras trained on the justices to see how they react when Trump scolds them.”

On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that Trump had acted outside his authority in imposing tariffs, a decision that sent Trump into rage. He went on to attack the justices that ruled against his tariffs – including two of his own appointees – calling them “unpatriotic” and “disloyal” to the Constitution.

Lippman also predicted another potentially “awkward” dynamic that may play out during Trump’s address.

“And also, how many Republicans applaud when Trump talks about tariffs?” Lippman said. “Do they mostly stay silent on that specific part of the speech?”

While Trump has repeatedly championed his tariff policy, Americans have largely soured on them, with 64% disapproving according to a new Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll. According to a recent study, 96% of all tariff-induced cost increases were paid directly by American consumers.

The unpopularity of Trump’s tariffs hasn’t been lost on Republican members of Congress either, many of whom are up for re-election later this year and have gone on to view them as a political liability.

A stunning accusation Donald Trump aimed at the six Supreme Court justices who ruled against his tariff policies caused “Morning Joe” co-host Joe Scarborough to have his producers cut off the clip of the Friday White House rant on Monday morning.

The MS NOW host then suggested the president was telling on himself with one particular “smear.”

During his impromptu Friday press conference, the president sneered, “The Supreme Court’s ruling on tariffs is deeply disappointing, and I’m ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutely ashamed for not having the courage to do what’s right for our country.”

It was not long after Trump accused the justices of being under the influence of foreign interests that Scarborough had enough and ordered the clip ended.

“I mean, literally, it's the most Orwellian thing. — I can't say it's the most Orwellian thing — It's kind of like the Wall Street Journal saying that was the low point of his second term,” the MS NOW host exclaimed.

“That said, foreign influences, please!” he added. “Is this projection? Is this a confession coming from the president? Foreign? I mean, President Trump owes the Supreme Court an apology, says The Wall Street Journal. The individual justices he smeared on Friday, the institution itself; Mr. Trump doubtless won't offer one, but his rant in response to the tariff defeat of the court was arguably the worst moment of his presidency. Again, come on.”

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