E. Jean Carroll Scores Another Crushing Victory Over Trump
A losing streak that never ends...
Donald Trump boasts about being an absolute winner, but his track record against E. Jean Carroll proves he is nothing more than a spectacular loser.
The man who once bragged he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with it can’t even dodge a defamation verdict from a magazine columnist.
On Wednesday, a federal appeals court told Trump to take his “presidential immunity” fairy tale and file it somewhere else, refusing to rehear his desperate challenge to the $83.3 million verdict Carroll won for defamation.
That’s right - another crushing defeat, and the scoreboard isn’t even close.
Trump’s Legal Gymnastics: Flop After Flop
Trump’s courtroom strategy has all the grace of a toddler in a tiara pageant. First, he called E. Jean Carroll a liar after she accused him of sexually assaulting her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1990s.
That move cost him $5 million when a jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation in 2023.
Trump appealed that verdict, but the Supreme Court has yet to decide whether to hear the case.
While that first case was still pending appeal, Trump doubled down with fresh defamatory insults in 2022, practically begging for a second lawsuit.
Carroll obliged, and in January 2024, a second jury awarded her a jaw-dropping $83.3 million for defamation.
Trump tried to overturn that $83.3 million verdict, but in September 2025, a three-judge panel of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals firmly upheld the judgment, rejecting his arguments that the damages were excessive or that his presidential immunity shielded him.
Not done yet, Trump then attempted a legal Hail Mary: over a year after the $83.3 million ruling, he tried to substitute the United States government as the defendant, claiming his defamatory statements were made as part of his official presidential duties.
If successful, this would have wiped out the case because the government cannot be sued for defamation.
Yesterday, the Second Circuit panel declined to rehear the case en banc, meaning the full court refused to overturn the earlier decision.
Writing for the majority, Judge Denny Chin bluntly stated,
“No other defendant would be permitted to move to substitute the United States in his place, 15 months after trial and the entry of judgment against him.”
Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, could barely contain her satisfaction: “We are pleased that the Second Circuit declined to reconsider this issue, and we look forward to this matter finally being resolved.”
⭐⭐ Subscribe for fearless commentary that cuts through the MAGA noise. Your support - free or paid - keeps independent journalism alive and ad-free. ⭐⭐
The Never-Ending Trump Tantrum
Trump’s legal playbook is stuck on repeat: deny, insult, delay, and demand do-overs. Every time he opens his mouth about Carroll, the damages just get bigger.
He’s now on the hook for more than $88 million, and the courts have made it clear he can’t tweet his way out of this one. Sure, he can try his luck at the Supreme Court, but if history is any guide, he’ll just add another loss to his collection.
Carroll keeps winning because she refuses to back down, and Trump keeps losing because he refuses to shut up. The lesson here? When you’re in a hole, stop digging.
But Trump, ever the showman, just keeps handing Carroll the shovel—and she keeps building her mountain of victories, one crushing verdict at a time.
The Final Score: Carroll 6, Trump 0 (and Counting)
Trump’s legal circus isn’t over, but the main act is getting old. Carroll has proven that even a sitting president can’t bully his way out of accountability.
Check out his losses (so far):
May 2023, a federal jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarded Carroll $5 million.
December 2024, the Second Circuit affirmed that $5 million judgment.
June 2025, the full Second Circuit declined to rehear Trump’s challenge to that $5 million verdict.
January 2024, a separate jury awarded Carroll $83 million in her second defamation case against Trump.
September 2025, a three-judge Second Circuit panel upheld that $83.3 million judgment.
April 29, 2026, the Second Circuit declined to rehear Trump’s challenge to the $83 million verdict en banc.
Trump thought he could bully a sexual assault survivor into silence. She instead transformed him into a broke, desperate punchline who has to beg the courts for mercy.
E. Jean Carroll remains the hero we need right now, proving once and for all that the truth still carries a massive price tag for right-wing extremists.
⭐⭐ Feel free to share this post. They are never paywalled. ⭐⭐





He must have made at least $83.3 million since his second (unfortunate) inauguration.
How the hell is he still president? It's a complete travesty/