“I’m here because Donald Trump raped me”

“When I wrote about it, he said it didn’t happen,” the former advice columnist testified of her allegations against the former president. “He lied and ruined my reputation, and I’m here to try to get my life back.”

E. Jean Carroll, the former Elle The advice columnist, who filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump over rape and defamation allegations, testified on Wednesday – only on the second day of the civil trial in New York City.

“I’m here because Donald Trump raped me,” Carroll testified on the witness stand, according to several news outlets, “and when I wrote about it, he said it didn’t happen.” (Trump continues to insist on his denial.)

“He lied and ruined my reputation and I’m here to try to get my life back,” she added.

Related: What to know as E. Jean Carroll’s rape and defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump goes to trial in New York

Carroll, 79, had filed suit against the now 76-year-old former president under New York State’s Adult Survivors Act, which gives victims of sexual abuse a one-year look-back period to assert claims that would otherwise be time-barred.

In her complaint, she alleged that “approximately 27 years ago, a playful skirmish at the Bergdorf Goodman luxury department store on Fifth Avenue in New York City took a dark turn when Defendant Donald J. Trump grabbed Plaintiff E. Jean Carroll, pushed her against the wall of a dressing room, pinned her with his shoulder, and raped her.”

In court on Wednesday, Carroll detailed the alleged assault, saying she found Trump attractive and “likable” before things took a dark turn. The Washington Post She said she ultimately escaped the situation by kneeing Trump and pushing him away.

Related: Former advice columnist E. Jean Carroll files new rape lawsuit against Donald Trump

According to her statement, Carroll has not had a romantic relationship – or sex – since the alleged assault. “The reason is because Donald Trump raped me,” she said, according to the post. “I couldn’t force myself to show (another) man that I liked him; that only led to terrible consequences.”

Carroll said she felt guilt about flirting with Trump before the alleged attack and did not report it to police at the time in part because she blamed herself, the news agency reported.

She later said she was fired by Elle She was later criticized by the magazine for blaming Trump for the incident and subsequently lost the audience that kept her career going: “It was a huge loss, and I’m slowly rebuilding it.”

Related: Physically assaulted by Donald Trump – a PEOPLE writer’s harrowing story

On Wednesday, Trump railed on Truth Social about the allegations against him.

“The E. Jean Carroll, Ms. Bergdorf Goodman case is a fabricated FRAUD. Her lawyer is a political operative funded by a major political donor who they said didn’t exist, only to get caught lying about it,” he wrote, in part.

In another post, he wrote: “Does anyone believe that I would lead a then nearly 60-year-old woman I did not know out of the front door of a very crowded department store (where I was very well known, to say the least!) into a tiny dressing room, and… she. She didn’t scream? There are no witnesses? Nobody saw this?”

Trump has denied Carroll’s assault allegations for years, saying in a 2019 interview, “Number 1: She’s not my type” and that he had “never met that person in my life.” (The two were photographed together, though Trump said it was a random moment.)

Recently, a Trump lawyer told media outlets such as the Associated Press that the case was an “abuse” of the new New York law.

“While I respect and admire individuals who speak out, this case is unfortunately an abuse of the purpose of this law that sets a terrible precedent and risks delegitimizing the credibility of actual victims,” ​​said Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba.

Because the trial is being held in federal court, it will not be televised, so details of the case will be relayed by reporters in the courtroom. NPR reports that the trial is expected to last about a week and that “damages could be in the tens of millions of dollars” if Trump is found guilty.

It would also be the first time that Trump – who has been accused of sexual harassment by dozens of women – would be held legally accountable for sexual misconduct.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to Rainn.org.

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