On a recent Wednesday, when confronted with an inquiry about potentially utilizing campaign resources to settle the substantial jury verdict exceeding $80 million awarded to columnist E. Jean Carroll, Donald Trump deflected with a query of his own, pondering, “What penalties?” This response came during a discussion about the financial obligations arising not only from Carroll’s case but also from an ongoing civil fraud lawsuit.
Trump’s reaction suggested a lack of clarity or perhaps an intentional avoidance of the question at hand. Rather than directly addressing the matter of using his political campaign’s funds for these liabilities, he seemed bewildered and redirected the conversation toward the penalties associated with the civil fraud case.
Trump’s interaction with the reporter took an even more perplexing turn as he ventured into a monologue about the civil fraud case penalties anticipated from Judge Engoron in New York. Emphatically asserting his innocence, Trump declared, “I didn’t do anything wrong,” a stance he believes to be vindicated, at least in his view. He went on to assert that the case had been “largely won” on appeal, maintaining, “We won that case,” despite the prosecution’s pursuit of over $350 million in the fraud lawsuit.
As the discussion circled back to the Carroll lawsuit, with the reporter pressing on the issue of campaign funds, Trump dismissed the case as “ridiculous.” Throughout the exchange, the former president evaded a direct answer regarding his plans to use campaign finances to fulfill the financial judgments against him.
This evasion left the question hanging in the air, with Trump providing no clear indication of his intentions to address the significant financial burdens imposed by the court rulings.
