“I’d like to give the money to something Donald Trump hates,” Carroll, 80, told ABC News.  “If it will cause him pain for me to give money to certain things, that’s my intent.”

Dozens of women have accused the former US president of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment dating back to the 1970s. He has denied these accusations.

In May last year, Carroll won $5 million in damages from a civil case against Trump. 

The former Elle advice columnist alleged that Trump raped her in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in 1995 or 1996 and then defamed her on his truth social platform in October 2022 by denying it happened and calling her a liar. 

Another $83 million in damages were awarded to Carroll on Friday after a jury took less than three hours to return a verdict that Trump should pay her the amount in damages to compensate for two defamatory statements he made against her in 2019. 

Speaking to the Times, Carroll said the win for her was a win for women everywhere, but especially in a post-Roe America. 

“This win, more than any other thing, when we needed it the most– after we lost the rights over our own bodies in many states– we put out our flag in the ground on this one. Women won this one. I think it bodes well for the future.”

Carroll has emphasised she wants to “do something good” with the money, noting it’s an “inspiring” amount of money.

During the two-week trial, Trump attended in-person, after his absence at last year’s trial. 

Describing what it was like to face him in court, Carroll has told reporters that she had fears leading up to it until looking at him sitting feet away and realising he was “nothing”.

“When you’ve actually faced the man, he’s just a man with no clothes on,” she told the Times, referencing the story of ‘the emperor with no clothes’. 

“It’s the people around him that are giving him the power,” she said.

At the end of proceedings, during closing statements from Carroll’s lawyer Roberta Kaplan, Trump muttered defamatory statements in earshot of the jury and walked out of the courtroom.

Kaplan said his behaviour only validated that Trump is “a bully who can’t follow the rules”.

Following the verdict and $83 million reward, Carroll said she saw the jurors and “it made me burst into tears because they met my eyes for the first time”. 

While it could be a while before Carroll sees the money, Kaplan says she’s confident they’ll be able to collect it.

“One way or the other, he owns a lot of real estate. It can be sold. We will collect the judgement,” Kaplan said.

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“Today, the world finally knows the truth,” Carroll said in a statement. “This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed.”

The former Elle advice columnist alleged that Trump raped her in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in 1995 or 1996 and then defamed her on his truth social platform in October 2022 by denying it happened and calling her a liar. 

After three hours of deliberation, a nine-member jury, made up of three women and six men, found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation against Carroll but stopped short of ruling that he raped her. 

As this was a civil case and not a criminal case, the only legal sanction Trump will face is financial– Carroll will be awarded a total of US$5 million. 

This marks the first time a former US president has been branded a sexual predator. 

At the beginning of the trial, Carroll testified that Trump’s attack had made it impossible for her to engage in future romantic partnerships, saying she could barely look at a man she was interested in. She also said Trump destroyed her reputation after calling her a liar, leading Elle magazine to fire her after 27 years.  

“I’m here because Donald Trump raped me and when I wrote about it, he said it didn’t happen,” Carroll said. “He lied and shattered my reputation. I’m here to try and get my life back.”

Absent from the civil trial, including when the verdict was read, Trump voiced outrage on his truth social platform, writing in all capital letters: “I have absolutely no idea who this woman is. This verdict is a disgrace– a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time!”

In Trump’s video deposition taken last October, he was shown a well-known black and white photograph of himself with Carroll and, at one point in the video, Trump mistook Carroll for his ex-wife Marla Maples. He then acknowledged that the photo suggests he met Carroll at least once, and he had previously stated he could not have raped Carroll because she was “not my type”. 

At closings jurors were also shown infamous video footage of Trump’s “Access Hollywood” tape where he describes how he aggressively makes moves on women without their consent. 

While cross-examining Carroll, Trump’s attorney, Joseph Tacopina focused on asking why she had not screamed or called the police at the time of the alleged assault. Tacopina also said he would disprove her allegation by showing Carroll had conspired to accuse Trump because she “hated” his politics. 

While Trump’s legal team was unsuccessful, Professor of Psychology at the University of Denver, Anne P. DePrince explains that these lines of questioning reinforced common myths about sexual assault and that research has shown “people respond in diverse ways when they experience traumatic events, including sexual assault”, and that “women have many reasons for disclosing- or not disclosing- sexual harassment and assault”.

During her testimony, the now 79-year-old Carroll– who was about 52-years-old at the time of the alleged assault– said she waited to come forward because she was a “member of the silent generation”. 

“Women like me were taught and trained to keep our chins up and to not complain,” she said.

“The fact that I never went to the police is not surprising for someone my age.”

And given the consequences of women who come forward with sexual assault allegations, Carroll was asked if she regretted accusing Trump.

“I regretted this about 100 times but, in the end, being able to get my day in court finally is everything,” she said. 

Trump’s lawyer, Joseph Tacopina told reporters outside the federal courthouse that Trump, who is campaigning to retake the White House in 2024, will appeal. 

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