A judge has denied former President Donald Trump's request to postpone a rape trial due to negative publicity

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The court said that Trump himself ‘provoked’ some of the publicity and cannot claim prejudice to delay next week’s trial start

A federal judge in Manhattan has denied a request by former President Donald Trump to postpone his rape trial, which is set to begin on April 25. The trial involves allegations made by columnist E. Jean Carroll that Trump raped her in a dressing room at a Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s. Trump has denied the allegations, saying he has never met Carroll and that she is lying.

Trump’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, had requested a one-month delay, citing negative publicity stemming from the former president’s recent indictment on charges of criminal falsification of business records. Tacopina argued that the publicity could prejudice potential jurors and that a “cooling off” period was necessary to ensure a fair trial.

However, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan rejected the request, stating that Trump cannot promote pre-trial publicity and then use it as a reason to delay the trial. Kaplan noted that there was no evidence to support the argument that a “cooling off” period was necessary. He also expressed concern that the request was a “delay tactic” and suggested that it could make it more difficult to find an impartial jury.

Kaplan said that it was not necessary to find jurors who had never heard of Trump’s legal woes, as long as jurors agreed to be fair and impartial. “There is no justification for an adjournment,” Kaplan said. “This case is entirely unrelated to the state prosecution.”

In addition to the rape trial, Trump is facing several other legal challenges. A special counsel appointed by the Justice Department is looking into his handling of classified documents, as well as matters related to the 2020 presidential election and the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. A district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia, is investigating Trump’s actions after the 2020 election. The New York attorney general, Letitia James, has also sued Trump, his family, and his company for alleged financial wrongdoing.

Carroll sued Trump for defamation after he said she was lying about the rape allegations. She brought a second lawsuit in November after New York state allowed victims to temporarily sue over sexual assaults that occurred long ago.

The trial is expected to be closely watched, as it is one of several legal battles Trump is facing since leaving office.