'What can be done about the penis?': E Jean Carroll's 2013 social media post takes centre stage in Trump trial

Former US President Donald Trump's lawyer, during the trial of the E Jean Carrolldefamation case, grilled her on Friday (Jan 19) with a peculiar focus on sexual commentary made by the American author in the past.

Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, raised questions during cross-examination over the explicit tweets made by Carroll in 2013. “Did you ever post any tweets that could be considered sexually explicit?” Habba asked as she highlighted the sexual nature of Carroll’s social media posts.

Upon this, Carroll’s team objected, and the judge sustained the objection. The questioning took a bizarre turn.

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Habba delved into a 2013 tweet where Carroll wrote, “What CAN be done about the penis? It gets large when you want it small, and stays small when you want it large.” “Those were your words, correct?” asked Habba.

“Yes,” Carroll replied. Trump's attorney continued asking, “And you posted them on a public social media account?”

“Yes.” Carroll also confirmed that the tweet remained on her Twitter account while the trial was ongoing.

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While defending herself, Carroll termed the question posted by her on social media as a “philosophical question” which spoke of the dynamics of intimacy between partners.“Sometimes a woman doesn’t feel like making love and the man wants to,” Carroll said.

“You discussed penises?” queried Habba. Carroll responded, “Yes.”

Trump-E Jean Carroll trial

The trial, which will determine financial penalties against Trump over his denials of Carroll’s rape allegation in 2019, also saw a heated exchange between the judge and the former US president.

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During Carroll’s opening testimony on Thursday (Jan 18), Trump’s disruptive behaviour drew a stern warning from the judge, who advised him to keep his voice down. “Mr Trump has the right to be present here. That right can be forfeited, and it can be forfeited if he is disruptive,” warned Judge Lewis Kaplan.

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Despite the warning, Trump continued to make statements that Carroll's attorneys claimed were disruptive.

(With inputs from agencies)