Can a man who has been found ‘civilly liable’ for sexual abuse in court be elected president of the United States? In a normal world, such a verdict might reasonably be expected to torpedo any candidate’s ambitions. But American politics today is the opposite of normal.
A Manhattan jury yesterday ordered Donald Trump to pay the writer E. Jean Carroll $5 million (£4 million) in damages — $2 million for her injuries for being molested by him and nearly $3 million for his defamation of her for denying her claims. Four years ago, in print, 79-year-old Carroll accused Trump of raping her in a New York department store in late 1995 or early 1996. Trump wholeheartedly denies the charge and the court did not find him guilty of rape. But the stench of the verdict, as well as various other criminal indictments, may well hang over him in the coming months as he seeks to win back the White House in 2024.
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