Lisa Rubin, an MSNBC legal correspondent and former litigator, wrote on Saturday in an opinion column that former President Donald Trump‘s handling of the E. Jean Carroll cases align with what she calls the “twin pillars” of his messaging: “martyrdom and misogyny.”
Trump, the GOP’s presidential nominee, attended an appeals hearing in Manhattan on Friday regarding the first of two civil cases brought by Carroll. In May 2023, a jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, awarding Carroll $5 million. In a separate case concluded in January 2024, the former president was ordered to pay Carroll an additional $83.3 million for defamatory statements made about the first trial.
Carroll, a former Elle writer, claimed that Trump sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store in New York in the 1990s and then defamed her character in 2022 by claiming the assault never happened because she wasn’t his “type.”
“The Carroll case plays right into the twin pillars of Trump’s messaging: martyrdom and misogyny,” Rubin, a former legal analyst for The Rachel Maddow Show and Alex Wagner Tonight, wrote in her MSNBC column. “Trump stewed silently during court so he could unleash his grievances after, all with the goal of filling his campaign coffer and pushing back on [Vice President Kamala] Harris’ ‘prosecutor versus sexual abuser’ framing.”
Newsweek has contacted Trump’s campaign via email on Saturday for comment.
Following the hearing, Trump held a press conference at Trump Tower in Manantan where he openly criticized his own legal team. “I’m disappointed in my legal talent, I’ll be honest with you,” he stated as his attorneys stood behind him.
He questioned their strategy, particularly their failure to mention potential DNA evidence related to a dress Carroll allegedly wore during the incident. Stains on it were tested and found to have an unknown man’s DNA present, but Trump’s team refused to submit his DNA for testing, causing a standoff in the original case.
Trump’s attorney, Will Scharf, defended their position, stating, “It’s really important to remember that E. Jean Carroll’s story, at its heart, is an utterly implausible he said-she said story.”
Former President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at Trump Tower on September 6 in New York City. Lisa Rubin, an MSNBC legal correspondent and former litigator, wrote on Saturday in an opinion column that Trump’s handling of the E. Jean Carroll cases align with what she calls the “twin pillars” of his messaging: “martyrdom and misogyny.”
Getty Images/Michael M. Santiago
During the press conference, Trump also reiterated his claims of innocence: “So I didn’t show up, and I was found guilty for something I did not do with a woman that I have never seen, touched, or in any way was involved with.” These comments could potentially expose Trump to further legal risk, given the substantial judgments already against him for defamation.
Rubin wrote on Saturday that Trump’s courtroom appearances and subsequent press conferences serve a dual purpose: reinforcing his narrative of persecution while energizing his base and boosting fundraising efforts. This strategy appears to have been effective in the past, with reports indicating significant fundraising spikes coinciding with major legal developments.
Politico reported one of Trump’s strongest fundraising days in early 2024 coincided with New York Attorney General Letitia James‘ move in her civil fraud case against him. The Associated Press, meanwhile, reported that over a third of Trump’s $141 million May fundraising total came within 24 hours of his conviction on 34 felony counts in the New York hush money case. Trump maintains his innocence both cases.
However, this fundraising strategy shows signs of volatility. In August, when Trump’s legal troubles were less prominent and he received a favorable Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity, his campaign contributions reportedly declined. During this period, Vice President Kamala Harris‘ campaign significantly outperformed Trump’s, raising $361 million compared to his much lower total.
As the 2024 presidential race intensifies, Rubin wrote in her column that the former president’s legal challenges continue to play a significant role in his campaign strategy.
“Trump and his campaign advisers well understand the perverse relationship between his perceived victimization through the civil and criminal cases against him, on the one hand, and his popularity among his base, on the other,” she wrote.
