Stay up to date with notifications from TheĀ Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Trump's video deposition in rape lawsuit made public

A video recording of former President Donald Trump being questioned about the rape allegations against him has been made public for the first time

Michael R. Sisak
Friday 05 May 2023 17:25 EDT

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A video recording of former President Donald Trump being questioned about the rape allegations against him was made public for the first time Friday, providing a glimpse of the Republican's emphatic, often colorful denials.

Jurors got to see the video of Trump's October 2022 deposition over the past few days at the trial over a lawsuit filed against him by advice columnist E. Jean Carroll. Written transcripts of Trump's testimony had also previously been made public, but not the recording itself.

The video was made available Friday to news organizations covering the proceedings.

The video shows Trump answering questions in his trademark navy suit and a bright blue tie. He called Carroll's claim that he raped her in a luxury Manhattan department store "a false, disgusting lie.ā€

ā€œItā€™s a disgrace. Frankly itā€™s a disgrace that something like this can be brought,ā€ Trump said.

Trump reiterated his assertion that Carroll is ā€œnot my type,ā€ but also mistook her for his second wife, Marla Maples, when shown a photo of him meeting Carroll and her then-husband at an event in the 1980s.

Trump was also asked about the infamous ā€œAccess Hollywoodā€ video in which Trump bragged about grabbing womenā€™s genitals. He said, as he has previously, that he was was engaging in ā€œlocker room talk.ā€ Trump justified his comments about famous people being able to have their way with women, saying: ā€œHistorically thatā€™s true with stars.ā€

All planned testimony in the trial concluded Thursday, clearing the way for closing arguments by the lawyers to happen Monday barring a last-minute decision by Trump to testify.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in