Former President Donald Trump criticized the judges overseeing his legal cases, referring to them as “animals” and expressing his frustration with the judge presiding over a trial set to begin this week. Trump claimed that the judge denied his request to delay the trial so he could attend his mother-in-law’s funeral. However, the judge had actually granted Trump more time for the case.
The specific judge Trump targeted was Manhattan federal Judge Lewis Kaplan, who is overseeing a defamation case against Trump brought by writer E. Jean Carroll. Trump accused Kaplan and other unspecified judges of being “bad people” and “radical left lunatics,” expressing his discontent with their handling of his cases.
In response to Trump’s request to delay the trial, Judge Kaplan denied the request on Friday. He noted that the trial is likely to conclude by the end of the week and clarified that Trump’s presence is not required. However, Kaplan did offer to extend the trial by an extra day if Trump wanted to testify.
Adding to the controversy, Kaplan highlighted in a memo on Sunday that Trump had claimed he would be traveling to Florida on Wednesday for the funeral. However, it was revealed that Trump had scheduled a campaign event in New Hampshire on that day, calling into question his stated reasons for seeking a delay.
The upcoming trial stems from a civil jury’s determination in May that Carroll’s allegations of sexual abuse against Trump were true. The jury awarded her $5 million in damages. Carroll then filed a defamation lawsuit against Trump for falsely claiming she lied about the incident, and Kaplan ruled in her favor in September. The trial next week will determine the amount of damages Trump owes in the defamation case, with Carroll seeking $10 million.
In response to these developments, Trump took to Truth Social to criticize Judge Kaplan, labeling him a “terrible, biased, irrationally angry Clinton-appointed judge.” Trump reiterated his previous claims that he does not know Carroll and has never met her.
In summary, former President Donald Trump has expressed his dissatisfaction with the judges overseeing his legal cases. Specifically, he criticized Judge Lewis Kaplan for denying his request to delay a trial due to his mother-in-law’s funeral. The trial, initiated by writer E. Jean Carroll’s defamation lawsuit against Trump, will determine the amount of damages he owes.