MISLEADING

A jury found Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse in a civil trial involving E. Jean Carroll, though it did not find him liable for "rape" under the specific, narrow definition provided by New York state law 1 6. However, presiding U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan later clarified that the jury’s finding—that Trump forcibly penetrated Carroll—constitutes rape as commonly understood 5. Judge Kaplan further ruled that it is entirely accurate to refer to Trump as a rapist based on the findings of that case 11. Trump has denied the allegations repeatedly, including in an April 2026 interview where he claimed to be totally exonerated 3 8. While there is no record of a criminal conviction and some sources classify the claim as "mostly false" due to the specific jury verdict 9, the judicial record establishes that Trump committed rape in a functional sense 5 11. Other sexual misconduct allegations involving Jeffrey Epstein have been investigated by the FBI, but many details remain redacted or unverified 2 7.