Letter to the editor: Trump's "I'm no rapist" claim could cost him

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 05.21.26

Thanks to the brave men and women of the Secret Service, a gunman was stopped before he could shoot President Trump or others at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Violence is unacceptable.

The next day, on the CBS show 60 Minutes, Norah O’Donnell asked for Trump’s reaction to this passage from the gunman’s manifesto: “I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.” Trump replied, “I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would because you’re horrible people. Horrible people. Yeah, he did write that. I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody.” Trump added, “You shouldn’t be reading that on 60 Minutes. You’re a disgrace.”

O’Donnell was simply doing her job by asking for Trump’s reaction. Her question was protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which, ironically, was the theme of the dinner — Trump even sat beneath a poster that read: “Celebrating the First Amendment.”

But Trump’s denial could get him sued for defamation. Again. A court ordered Trump to pay E. Jean Carroll $88.3 million for sexually assaulting her, then defaming her by calling her a liar. I’ll spare you the crude details of what Trump did, but you can read all about it in the July 19, 2023 Washington Post article: “Judge clarifies: Yes, Trump was found to have raped E. Jean Carroll.” Judge Kaplan concluded, “as the evidence at trial recounted below makes clear, the jury found that Mr. Trump in fact did exactly that.”

Trump’s 60 Minutes denial could be very expensive. The first jury awarded Carroll $5 million. When Trump defamed Carroll again, her lawyer told a second jury, “your decision on punitive damages is the only hope that he stops.” That jury awarded Carroll another $83.3 million. After Trump’s latest defamation, who knows how much the next jury will award?

Janine Sacramone

Leland