A New York jury has decided Donald Trump should pay $83.3m for defaming columnist E Jean Carroll in 2019 while he was US president.

The penalty in the civil trial is made up of $18.3m for compensatory damages and $65m in punitive damages. The compensatory damages are meant to account for the harm that the jury found his comments had done to her reputation and emotional wellbeing. It took the jury of seven men and two women less than three hours to reach a verdict .

Mr Trump was found in a previous civil case to have defamed Ms Carroll and sexually assaulted her in the 1990s.

Mr. Trump, who looks likely to be the Republican candidate in November’s presidential election, also faces four criminal cases for a total of 91 felony counts. He is the first president in US history to be charged with a crime, but has pleaded not guilty and denied all the charges.

Meanwhile, Trump said, “I fully disagree with both verdicts and will be appealing this whole Biden Directed Witch Hunt focused on me and the Republican Party.

He also said,”Our Legal System is out of control, and being used as a Political Weapon. They have taken away all First Amendment Rights. THIS IS NOT AMERICA!”