Donald Trump mistook rape accuser for ex-wife, trial hears

Donald Trump mistook his rape accuser E Jean Carroll for his ex-wife, a New York Trial was told on Friday.

In a deposition played to jurors, a video clip showed Mr Trump shown a photo of himself speaking to others at an event.

“It’s Marla,” he said, before his lawyer corrects him.

“No, that’s Carroll,” the lawyer replied.

Ms Carroll, 79, has accused the former president of raping her in a New York City department store during the mid-1990s and of damaging her reputation by lying about it online – claims Mr Trump denies.

Her lawyers have argued that the incident undermines Mr Trump’s argument that Ms Carroll was “not my type”.

Mr Trump has called the case politically motivated. He has yet to make an appearance in the civil trial, which is now drawing to a close after two weeks of proceedings in Manhattan.

The two sides rested their cases on Thursday, though Mr Trump did not call any witnesses in his defence.

On Thursday, Mr Trump told reporters that he “will probably attend” the trial in order to “confront” Ms Carroll in court.

“I will probably attend [the trial] and I think it’s a disgrace that it’s allowed to happen, false accusations against a rich guy, or in my case against a famous, rich and political person,” he said, speaking from his Trump Doonbeg resort in Ireland’s Co Clare.

Last week, US District Judge Lewis Kaplan cautioned Mr Trump that he could end up facing more legal woes if he continues to publicly discuss the case.

Ms Carroll claims that the pair teased each other to try on a piece of underwear after running into each other at Manhattan’s Bergdorf Goodman.

According to her testimony, they then ended up alone together in a changing room. Here, she claims, Mr Trump pushed her against a wall and raped her before she fought him off and fled.

Her account was supported by the testimony of her friend, who said that Ms Carroll made them aware of the incident shortly after it happened.

It is expected that the trial will run into next week after a day off on Friday.