Donald Trump and E Jean Carroll arrive at court for restart of defamation trial – live

Donald Trump spent the hours before E Jean Carroll’s second defamation trial against him was set to resume on Thursday posting inflammatory messages on his Truth Social site attacking the writer.

The former president posted more than 35 times about Carroll overnight on Thursday, sharing a mix of rants, videos, and old social media posts and interviews with her.

“I’m heading back to New York City for a trial based on False Accusations, from perhaps decades ago — The woman has no idea when!” he wrote, referring to Carroll.

Donald Trump’s motorcade has arrived at the federal courthouse in Manhattan.

E Jean Carroll has also been pictured arriving at the courthouse.

The possible courtroom showdown between Donald Trump and E Jean Carroll was initially expected to unfold on Monday. A juror fell ill with Covid symptoms en route to the courthouse, however, derailing proceedings.

Carroll’s lead attorney, Roberta Kaplan, argued that proceedings should continue without this juror. It was subsequently revealed in court, however, that Trump’s team had been exposed to Covid.

Trump’s lead attorney in this case, Alina Habba, said that she had been present at a dinner with her parents several days prior and that at least one of them had come down with Covid. Habba on Monday claimed to feel under the weather.

The judge agreed to postpone proceedings until Tuesday so that parties on Carroll’s case, as well as jurors, could take Covid tests. Habba then pointed out that Trump, who was going to testify, would be busy campaigning on Tuesday, and asked for another postponement. Habba said:

My client reminded me, and I am in trial mode, I apologize, so tomorrow is the New Hampshire primary, and he needs to be in New Hampshire. He was planning to testify. Clearly, he flew in last night to be here. I would just need his testimony to be Wednesday in light of the news about the juror today.

Judge Lewis Kaplan said he would not decide immediately. Later that day, a court filing revealed that proceedings would be postponed until Wednesday.

A court filing on Tuesday indicated proceedings would be postponed yet again until Thursday. No explanation for either postponement was given.

Donald Trump has been pictured waving to supporters this morning as he departed Trump Tower to make his way to the Manhattan federal courthouse in New York.

Donald Trump is expected to attend today’s Manhattan federal court proceedings and could be called to the stand to testify.

The former president attended trial proceedings on two days last week including on 17 January, when the former Elle writer described how his 2019 denials of her rape claim smeared her reputation. Carroll’s testimony marked the first time she confronted him in a courtroom.

Trump reacted to Carroll’s testimony with repeated outbursts, prompting the judge, Lewis Kaplan, to warn that the ex-president would be booted from court if he refused to behave. Trump’s response was to taunt the judge, setting the stage for another potential showdown between the veteran jurist and the bombastic 2024 Republican presidential candidate.

Welcome to the Guardian’s coverage of E Jean Carroll’s defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump, where the pair could face off once again in the Manhattan federal court after a Covid-19 scare forced a last-minute delay on Monday.

This ongoing trial is Carroll’s second defamation case against Trump. A jury in May found the former US president liable of sexual abuse and defamation, awarding Carroll $5m in damages.

Carroll claimed Trump raped her around late 1995 or 1996, in the dressing room of a Manhattan department store. She went public with her claim in 2019 when a portion of her book, What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal, was published in New York magazine.

Carroll first sued Trump in 2019 over his subsequent denials. She sued him again in 2022 when New York’s Adult Survivors Act allowed her to file suit over the sexual assault and defamatory statements he made when no longer president.

That second lawsuit went to trial this spring. The judge, Lewis Kaplan, determined that the jury’s findings – that he sexually abused and defamed her – would be accepted as fact in this trial. This means the jury is only weighing damages.

The trial is expected to get under way at about 9.30am Eastern time.