Manhattan Federal Judge Lewis Kaplan threatened former President Donald Trump with removal from the courtroom on Wednesday. The 45th president was present for his defamation trial brought by accuser E. Jean Carroll.
Trump muttered under his breath that the proceedings were a “witch hunt” as well as a “con job.”
Kaplan warned the 2024 Republican frontrunner that he would be removed from the court if he further interrupted testimony. Trump shook his head and threw his hands up in the air in a clear signal that he objected to the reprimand.
Then Trump said aloud, “I would love it. I would love it.” Kaplan retorted, “I know you would like that because you just can’t control yourself in this circumstance apparently.”
Trump responded, “You can’t either.”
Wednesday morning’s court proceedings continued the adversarial tone set by Kaplan against the former president. Attorney Alina Habba asked the judge multiple times to delay the trial for Trump to attend the funeral of his deceased mother-in-law, Amalija Knavs.
JUST IN: Judge threatens to kick Donald Trump out of courtroom during E. Jean Carroll's defamation trial against him in New York.
Trump reportedly taunted the judge in response by saying: "I would love it!"
Judge: "Mr. Trump has the right to be present here. That right can be… pic.twitter.com/o2g28wWZVa
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 17, 2024
As expected, the request was summarily rejected. Kaplan declared, “The application is denied. I will hear no further argument on it.”
A heated exchange followed between the judge and Habba. After being chastised, Habba responded, “I don’t like being spoken to that way, your honor.”
Unsurprisingly, later in the day, Trump attorney Michael Madaio asked Kaplan to recuse himself over his obvious “hostility” toward his client. That request along with putting off the trial for one day to attend a funeral was denied.
In a 2019 memoir, Carroll claimed that the former president decades earlier forced himself onto her. She noted a chance meeting in an upscale department store back in 1996.
Trump denied the allegation outright, saying he never met her and there was not an incident between the two. He declared that she was not his “type.”
A May jury trial determined that the writer did not substantiate her claim of being attacked. It did, however, conclude that Trump acted in an untoward manner and defamed Carroll.
Trump did not attend the proceedings, and the jury awarded the columnist $5 million for damages.
