Takeaways from Donald Trump’s testimony at the E. Jean Carroll defamation trial

Two days after dominating the New Hampshire GOP’s presidential primary, all but assuring himself a third straight nomination and rematch with President Joe Biden, Donald Trump returned to a Manhattan federal courthouse.

The former president took the stand for what was ultimately less than five minutes – including multiple admonishments from Judge Lewis Kaplan – as he seeks to avoid a multimillion-dollar jury verdict against him in the civil defamation trial.

The trial centers on Trump’s 2019 comments about E. Jean Carroll, the writer who last year won a civil verdict over her claim Trump sexually assaulted her in the mid-1990s and then defamed her when she first publicly accused him. Carroll is seeking at least $10 million.

Closing arguments are scheduled for Friday morning and the jury of nine could have the case by lunchtime.