The defense
“A jury didn't specifically find him guilty of rape.”
Strong evidenceWhat the record shows
The jury found Trump liable for 'sexual abuse' rather than 'rape' because New York's narrow penal code definition of rape requires penile penetration. Judge Kaplan addressed this directly in his July 2023 ruling: 'The proof convincingly established, and the jury implicitly found, that Mr. Trump deliberately and forcibly penetrated Ms. Carroll's vagina with his fingers.' He stated: 'Carroll's accusation of rape is substantially true.' The word used on the verdict form reflects a legal technicality, not a finding that the conduct wasn't rape.
Last updated November 3, 2026
Other common defenses
- “He was never charged with anything.”
- “The allegations are unverified — just accusations.”
- “He banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago.”
- “He cooperated with investigators.”
- “The DOJ said the claims against Trump are false.”
- “Democrats are just using this to attack him.”
- “The Carroll case was thrown out / is still being appealed.”
- “Why didn't Carroll report it at the time?”
- “Where can I read the Epstein files?”
- “The Epstein files didn't prove anything about Trump.”