Investigative journalist David Cay Johnston suggests that former President Trump is attacking his accuser E. Jean Carroll in the hope of receiving a large monetary award from the jury.
This would allow him to claim that the system is against him and appeal to his base by portraying the jury as “non-Christian and non-white.”
Despite being found liable for the sexual abuse and defamation of Carroll, Trump does not expect to pay the damages and is aiming to use the trial to stir up his base.
“I think he’s hoping the jury awards far more than $10 million because then he can go out and say, ‘See, it’s further evidence the system is against you,’” Johnston said.
Trump will point out that “it’s a New York jury, which of course is code for, they’re not Christian, and they’re not white,” Johnston said. “And that will appeal to his base, but it won’t broaden his support, which is what he needs.”
Johnston said Trump “doesn’t expect to ever pay this, just as he doesn’t believe he’ll ever go to jail.”
But it “doesn’t mean that in his jumbled mind, he’s also not terrified,” Johnston added.
“He is. But I think his goal here is get an enormous award from this jury so that he can use it to stir up his base.”
