Donald Trump Storms Out Of Court During Closing Arguments Of Defamation Trial

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump abruptly walked out on closing arguments at his defamation trial Friday as a lawyer for writer E. Jean Carroll urged a jury to award her client at least $12 million damages, saying Trump had shattered her reputation and her world by unleashing a flood of hate toward her through his public statements branding her a liar.

Just minutes after attorney Roberta Kaplan began her closing argument in Manhattan federal court, Trump suddenly rose from his seat at the defense table and walked toward the exit, pausing to scan the packed courtroom as members of the Secret Service leaped up to follow him out.

The unexpected departure prompted Judge Lewis A. Kaplan to speak up, briefly interrupting the closing argument to say: “The record will reflect that Mr. Trump just rose and walked out of the courtroom.”

The walkout came only minutes after the judge, without the jury present, threatened to send Trump attorney Alina Habba to jail for continuing to talk when he told her she was finished.

“You are on the verge of spending some time in the lockup. Now sit down,” the judge told Habba, who immediately complied.

Roberta Kaplan and the judge are unrelated.

Trump, who was not required to attend the civil lawsuit proceedings, had appeared agitated all morning, vigorously shaking his head as Kaplan’s closing arguments got underway.

The walkout occurred shortly after Roberta Kaplan said: “Donald Trump has tried to normalize conduct that is abnormal.”

The closings occurred in the defamation case against Trump a day after he left the courtroom fuming that he hadn’t been given an opportunity to refute Carroll’s sexual abuse accusations.

Lawyers were summing up for nine jurors who will start