Appeals Court Grants Trump Stay on $83M Carroll Defamation Payment Pending Supreme Court Review

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals granted President Trump's request to delay payment of the $83.3 million defamation judgment to E. Jean Carroll until the Supreme Court either reviews his appeal or declines to hear it. The ruling came after the full appeals court rejected Trump's presidential immunity claims and other efforts to avoid the payment in late April 2026. While the stay temporarily relieves Trump from immediate payment, the court required him to increase his bond by $7.46 million to cover accruing interest. This represents another chapter in Trump's ongoing legal strategy to delay accountability for defaming Carroll, whom a jury found he sexually abused and then defamed by calling her a liar. The stay itself is a standard appellate procedure, though it continues a pattern of using all available legal mechanisms to postpone consequences.