Trump gets judge's rap as he heads off to rally

NEW YORK/ROCHESTER, New Hampshire — The woman whom Donald Trump was found liable of sexually assaulting faced off with the former president on Wednesday in a New York courtroom to say he subsequently ruined her reputation.

E. Jean Carroll, 80, is seeking more than $10 million alleging that Trump defamed her in 2019, when she first made her assault allegations public, by saying she "is not my type".

"It means I'm too ugly to assault," Carroll told the court.

There were tense moments in court as Carroll gave evidence just a few rows away from where Trump sat.

Carroll's legal team complained that Trump was making audible comments about her evidence and that jurors could be influenced, CNN reported.

The judge in the civil case asked Trump to lower his voice when conferring with his legal team.

"Mr Trump has the right to be present ... That right can be forfeited," the judge said. "I understand you're probably eager for me to do that."

"I would love it," Trump replied.

Following the day's proceedings, Trump used a media briefing to attack the judge for his refusal to delay the trial by a day so he could attend his mother-in-law's funeral.

"He said 'absolutely not' ... I thought it was terrible," Trump said before heading to New Hampshire to give a speech ahead of the state's primary vote. "He's a nasty judge."

Trump spoke more than two hours later than scheduled in a location that was much smaller than his normal venue — a hotel ballroom that could only accommodate some 300 people. He concluded his long day with a rambling speech that lasted more than an hour.

Make-or-break

On Wednesday, Nikki Haley wooed voters in New Hampshire as the Republican presidential nomination contest moves to the eastern US state seen as make-or-break for her bid to reel in runaway front-runner Trump.

Once considered an outside bet, the former United Nations ambassador — the only woman in the race — has emerged as the main threat to Trump's dreams of a White House return.

Her polling numbers, donations and endorsements have surged in recent weeks.

"If Haley has a good showing in New Hampshire, it's going to shift the momentum, energy and excitement behind her campaign going into South Carolina," Haley backer and former Maryland governor Larry Hogan said.

Haley has pegged back Trump's average polling lead from 35 points in the fall to just 14 — and she has dismissed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is running a distant third in New Hampshire, to cast the Republican primary as a two-horse race.

Agencies Via Xinhua