Former President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday, January 17, that he would have to miss the trial over allegations made against him by E. Jean Carroll to attend a funeral for his mother-in-law. He told reporters at the Wednesday press conference that he had to do so because the judge would not delay the trial for the funeral.
During his remarks, the former president argued that the judge should have been “very nice” and allowed a delay for the funeral because there is no timing emergency for the trial, particularly given that it was a close family member who died and whose trial he is attending. Trump also spoke about the “demeaning” nature of the situation.
Speaking on the matter, Trump, after spending the day in court, said, “As you know, the first lady’s mother passed away. The funeral is tomorrow. And we would have assumed that for a trial like this, it’s not an emergency in terms of timing, the judge would have been very nice, and they would let me go because I want to be at every trial day because I saw what happened in the first one.”
Continuing on that point, former President Trump described what happened in the first trial, saying, “I was asked not to go by the lawyers very much — they said it’s demeaning, there was no evidence, there was no anything — and so I didn’t go, and I understood exactly what he meant when he said it was demeaning. There was no reason to go and you shouldn’t go.”
Contrasting that time with this time, Trump said that he wants to “go to all days” because “the judge is a radical Trump hater.” But that couldn’t happen, as former President Trump said, because the judge refused to delay the trial by a day for the funeral.
Speaking on that, Trump told the crowd at the press conference, “So, it happened very terribly as we asked to just delay the trial for one day so I could go to the funeral tomorrow and then we could start Friday or Monday or any time they want. And he said, absolutely not, the trial will go on just as it is.” According to Trump, the judge said, “You can go to the funeral or you can go to the trial, but you can’t do both.”
Commenting on the judge’s decision, with Trump noting that the judge is a Clinton appointee, Trump said, “I thought it was terrible. I thought it was terrible. So he would rather have me miss the funeral or go to the funeral and miss the trial.” He continued, “That’s a nasty man. He’s a nasty judge. He’s a Trump-hating guy. And it’s obvious to everybody in the court it’s a disgrace, frankly, what’s happening. It’s a disgrace.”
Melania, announcing her mother’s passing on X, wrote, “It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved mother, Amalija. Amalija Knavs was a strong woman who always carried herself with grace, warmth, and dignity. She was entirely devoted to her husband, daughters, grandson, and son-in-law. We will miss her beyond measure and continue to honor and love her legacy.”
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