Donald Trump has made a career of fighting back — in boardrooms, on campaign trails, in courtrooms, and on social media.
He has outlasted investigations, impeachments, indictments, and even an assassination attempt.
But there is one opponent he simply cannot shake — not a prosecutor, not a political rival, not a foreign adversary.
She is an 82-year-old former magazine advice columnist. On Monday, the highest court in the land told him he still owes her $5 million.
According to ABC News, the Supreme Court declined to review the jury verdict in the sexual assault and defamation lawsuit brought by E. Jean Carroll, the former Elle Magazine columnist who has now beaten Trump twice in federal court. The justices offered no explanation and no pathway forward for Trump. The judgment stands, and the money is due.
This legal saga has now could cost Trump more than $88 million across two trials.
Carroll also won an $83.3 million judgment in a separate defamation lawsuit in January 2024, which he is still appealing and plans to bring to the Supreme Court. After Monday, those odds are looking a lot worse.
Trump also wanted American taxpayers to foot the bill for his appeal, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit shut that down, rejecting his effort to cover his $83 million tab.
Her attorney, Roberta Kaplan, did not mince words.
“Today’s Supreme Court decision affirms once and for all the jury’s unanimous verdict that President Donald J. Trump sexually assaulted and defamed E. Jean Carroll,” she said, according to Politico. “His multiple efforts to appeal that verdict have all failed and today’s ruling ends his quest to avoid accountability for his actions.”
Trump went straight to Truth Social. “Surprisingly, the Supreme Court declined to ‘review’ a Fake Case brought against me by a woman I never met (Decades old celebrity photo line, standing with her husband, does not count!),” he wrote — which surprised almost no one paying attention.
He continued, “I will continue the fight against this Weaponization and Lawfare Case against me, including the ridiculous claim of Defamation, with all of my power and strength.”
The roots of this fight go back to 2019, when Carroll published an excerpt from her memoir alleging Trump had violated her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in Manhattan in the mid-1990s.
Trump denied everything, calling the allegations a “hoax and a lie” and declaring Carroll was “not my type.” Those denials became the foundation of her defamation claims in the first trial. She filed suit in 2022, and a New York jury awarded her $5 million for the sexual assault claims in May 2023.
The president appealed, arguing the trial judge had no business allowing jurors to see a clip from the “Access Hollywood” tape. He also objected to testimony from two women who said he had assaulted them. A federal appeals court rejected those arguments in 2024. The Supreme Court’s refusal to step in closes that door for good.
The courtroom scenes were genuinely wild. During the second trial in January 2024 — which was solely to determine damages because the judge ruled the earlier case already had found Trump defamed Carroll — nearly got himself thrown out after Judge Lewis Kaplan told him to keep it down while Carroll was on the stand.
When Kaplan floated the idea of removing him, Trump raised both hands and fired back, “I would love it.” Kaplan did not flinch.
“I know you would because you just can’t control yourself,” he replied. Carroll told the jury that Trump had called her a liar 26 times in three days.
“I am here because Donald Trump assaulted me,” she said. “He lied, and he shattered my reputation.”
Off the stand, Carroll has been equally direct. In an October 2025 “Daily Beast” podcast, she described watching Trump in court: “I don’t understand how people can be afraid of a fat, elderly man who wears apricot makeup.”
She later posted on X: “Just a reminder: Trump keeps losing to an old woman.”
Just a reminder:
— E. Jean Carroll (@ejeancarroll) August 12, 2025
Trump
keeps
losing
to
an
old
woman. pic.twitter.com/4chcrpjWl0
Over on ABC News’ Facebook page, people were ready.
“SCOTUS is giving Donny boy the bizzness today,” one commenter wrote.
“Finally being held accountable for SOMETHING… I bet he’s biiiig mad,” another quipped. One person went full sarcasm: “The President will probably take this news with a quiet grace, and deliver an eloquent response.” Someone else added, “Bigly temper tantrums coming in 3, 2, 1.”
Another kept it simple: “Take that Mr. Piggy.” And one observer put the question out there: “Y’all think the Supreme Court is seeing the writing on the wall?”
Carroll fought through two juries, two appeals courts, and a Supreme Court refusal — and came out on top every time. Trump holds the most powerful office in the world, but that doesn’t seem to matter.
Later this same day, he returned to the platform to celebrate one victory he received today.
The Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling in Trump v. Slaughter just torched 90 years of precedent. By gutting Humphrey’s Executor, the Court handed Trump unchecked power to fire commissioners at the FTC, SEC, and NLRB at will — no cause, no justification, no limits, according to CBS News.
”Today’s Historic Slaughter Decision by the Supreme Court is the Greatest Increase in Presidential Power in the last 100 years. Such a Monumental Ruling at such an important time!” he posted.
He may have won the aforementioned federal case, but when it comes to this female journalist, she’s proven to be his kryptonite, coming out on top every time they battle.
