Donald Trump's defamation trial starts as judge denies one-day adjournment for him to attend funeral

With jury selection about to begin, a judge denied Donald Trump's request Tuesday that a defamation trial stemming from a columnist's claims that he sexually abused her in the 1990s be suspended for a day so he could attend the funeral of his mother-in-law later in the week.

The denial came during a combative exchange between lawyers for Trump and Judge Lewis A. Kaplan over evidence in the case, Trump’s desire to attend the Thursday funeral and whether the trial should occur at all.

This is the penalty phase of a civil defamation trial stemming from columnist E. Jean Carroll's claims he sexually attacked her in a department store dressing room. A May trial found Trump sexually abused Carroll, awarding her $5 million. Trump did not attend that trial but he showed up Tuesday morning after his political victory at the Iowa caucus hours earlier.

Trump attorney Michael Madaio complained that the judge had made “inconsistent and unfair” rulings against Trump prior to the start of the trial.

Madaio said the rulings “drastically changed our ability to defend this case and largely stripped us of our defenses.”

He also argued that given Trump's pending appeal of the first verdict, the trial should not proceed at all.

Another Trump attorney, Alina Habba, then requested that the trial be adjourned on Thursday for the funeral of former first lady Melania Trump's mother, Amalija Knavs.

“I am not stopping him from being there,” the judge said, referring to the funeral.

Habba responded: “No, you're stopping him from being here.”

The judge, though, said the only accommodation he would make is what he announced in an order over the weekend, which is that Trump can testify on Monday, even if the trial is otherwise finished by Thursday.