Ex-president rants $83M defamation verdict ‘absolutely ridiculous’

( NYPost )

A Manhattan jury has determined that former president Donald Trump must pay writer E. Jean Carroll a whopping $83 million for defaming her — after a different civil court jury last year found him liable for that, as well as sexual abuse.

Carroll, a former longtime Elle magazine advice columnist, was initially seeking $10 million in damages.

During closing arguments on Friday, her attorney upped the ask to $24 million, telling the jury of five men and four women that the real estate magnate should pay his alleged abuse victim at least that much for defaming Carroll because “the only thing he cares about is money.”

The former commander-in-chief stormed out of the courtroom just minutes into closing arguments Friday morning, returning just over an hour later.

Trump took the stand to defend himself for just three minutes on Thursday, marking the first time a jury heard directly from Trump, live in court — in any of the current cases against him — since he left the White House.

Since the case is a civil one, Trump was not required to be in court but had vowed from the outset that he intended to “go to all days” of the trial.