E. Jean Carroll took on former President Donald Trump and won, and now she wants other women to know they have the power to do the same.
Addressing attendees at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women dinner in New York on Tuesday, Carroll, who won an $83.3 million defamation award against Trump in January, said the upcoming presidential election The outcome may depend on women’s votes.
“Women can actually win this election,” she told Fortune’s Emma Hinchliffe. “Black women, especially in the 2020 election, stood up. Now I think suburban mothers and suburban women should stand up in this election.
Carroll, a journalist and author, sued Trump for defamation in 2019 after he called her a liar when she publicly accused him of sexually assaulting her in a Bergdorf Goodman locker room in 1996. This is the second time Carroll has defeated a former president in court. Last May, a separate jury ruled that Trump was not responsible for the rape but sexually assaulted Carroll and then claimed she made up the story to defame her. The verdict showed that Carroll was awarded $5 million, bringing the total amount Trump owes her to $88.3 million.
Buoyed by these victories, Carroll took the stage with her attorney Roberta Kaplan, who told the audience she was committed to bringing about social change for women despite major setbacks for women’s rights, including the overturning of the Constitution. The strength feels “very, very positive”.
“I don’t think we’re going to be stopped, I really don’t,” Carroll said. “We have to work very hard to help our sisters in the South regain the right to their own bodies.”
Carroll has yet to receive the money from Trump, but that hasn’t stopped her from making big plans for how to spend it. “I’m going to give it to Donald Trump for everything he hates,” she said. “He put conservative justices on the Supreme Court and took away women’s rights to their own bodies. I will do whatever I can to [in]Reclaiming women’s rights over their own bodies. I’m going to donate it to making sure women become attorneys, especially mothers who want some scholarship assistance… Since he doesn’t have a dog, I want to donate some to the ASPCA.
Asked how she handles online vitriol from Trump supporters, Carroll said her experience is representative of what many women encounter on social media. “Every woman in this room is saying horrible things [about them] On X, on Instagram. We all say, “You’re ugly, you’re old, you’re withered, you don’t deserve this, you’re pathetic, you’re ugly.” We all get it. I’m not unusual.
However, the trial’s conclusion made it easier for her to tolerate the abuse. Carol said she was excited to be in a room with so many influential women.
“A serious woman is an extremely powerful entity,” she warned. “The thing is to never despair – never despair. Always stay positive to achieve what we have to achieve.
