Is Donald Trump a convicted rapist?

Like probably many of you, I frequently come across claims that Donald Trump is a convicted rapist. No, this is not about the “Epstein files” and the horrible things they imply, it’s about claims that, in the 1990s, he raped E. Jean Carroll. He, of course, denies this. Even though it has nothing to do with the usual topic of this blog (SCAM), I thought it would be interesting and important to establish the facts about this case. So, here they are:

E. Jean Carroll claimed Donald Trump raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room around 1995-1996, an accusation she publicized in 2019, leading to defamation suits after Trump denied it and called her claims a “hoax.”​

Subsequently Carroll filed the first suit (“Carroll I”) in 2019 for defamation based on Trump’s denials, including his statement that she was “not my type.” A May 2023 jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse – not rape under New York’s narrow legal definition – and defamation, awarding her $5 million in damages. The second suit (“Carroll II”), filed in 2022 under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, added a battery claim. In January 2024, a jury awarded Carroll an additional $83.3 million ($7.3 million emotional, $11 million reputational, $65 million punitive) for further defamation.​ The evidence included:

• Carroll’s account of a chance encounter turning violent, supported by friends she confided in, a 1987 photo of them together,
• other accusers’ testimonies,
• Trump’s Access Hollywood

Trump denied even knowing Carroll and maintained the claims were fabricated. He appealed both verdicts, posting bonds totalling about $91.6 million. At present, appeals continue, with a Supreme Court petition filed in 2025. Judge Kaplan upheld the findings, noting Trump’s actions met common definitions of rape despite the jury’s terminology. Appeals upheld liabilities as of December 2024, with Supreme Court review pending.

The two Carroll cases were civil lawsuits, where a jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation, not rape under New York’s criminal legal definition. Rape would require penile penetration! Civil cases determine liability by a “preponderance of evidence” standard, resulting in financial damages ($5 million in Carroll I, $83.3 million in Carroll II), not criminal penalties like prison. Therefore, no criminal conviction for rape or sexual assault exists against Trump in these matters.

Judge Kaplan noted the jury implicitly found Trump forcibly penetrated Carroll digitally, aligning with the common understanding of rape, though not New York’s narrow penal code definition. Appeals courts upheld the verdicts as of late 2025, but this remains civil liability. The proper legal description from the two cases is therefore that Trump was found civilly liable for sexual abuse (or battery) and defamation against E. Jean Carroll.

Calling Trump a convicted “rapist,” or “sex offender” is thus not technically correct. Or, to put it differently, according to the common understanding of rape, Trump is a convicted rapist. According to New York’s criminal legal definition, he is a convicted sex offender. Whichever version one might perfer, in my view, he is not fit to be the president of the US. And for what it’s worth, I also believe that any sane country would have not re-elected him or would by now have at least removed this man from office.