E. Jean Carroll defamation case: Judge denies Trump's motion for mistrial

Donald Trump is expected to be in the courtroom this morning when E. Jean Carroll takes the stand to testify about how the then-president's defamatory denial of her sexual assault allegations in 2019 upended her life.

Trump "unleashed his followers to go after her online" after Carroll went public with her allegations, damaging her reputation as a writer and making her feel unsafe in her own home, Carroll's attorney Shawn Crowley told the jury in her opening statement yesterday.

"Ms. Carroll bought bullets for the gun that she inherited from her father, and she now sleeps with it right beside her bed. She checks her surroundings every time she leaves her house or gets out of her car," Crowley said. "She's afraid -- afraid that someday, somebody is going to make good on their threats and come after her in person."

Despite sitting feet from each other in the courtroom yesterday, Carroll and Trump avoided eye contact and never interacted during the first day of the trial. However, when Carroll takes the stand to testify this morning, she will speak directly in front of the counsel table where Trump is seated.

Former President Trump, who was campaigning in New Hampshire Tuesday evening, is expected to return to New York to attend the second day of his defamation trial on Wednesday, sources tell ABC News.

Trump is then scheduled to return to New Hampshire later Wednesday.

-ABC News' Rachel Scott, Lalee Ibssa and Soo Rin Kim

Donald Trump's legal counsel Boris Epshteyn briefly spoke to reporters outside court at the conclusion of Tuesday's proceedings, calling the trial "straight out of [a] banana republic."

"Manhattan is 90-95% Democrat," Epshteyn said, despite voter registration records showing the borough is about 70% Democratic. "Does anybody think the President will get a fair trial here? Absolutely not," he said.

Despite a jury last year finding Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll, Epshteyn alleged that Carroll is making "false accusations."

"President Trump has consistently stated that he did not commit the allegation and did not commit the acts that the plaintiff alleges. He has been steadfast in that. And it is right to defend himself from false accusations," Epshteyn said.

Epshteyn declined to comment on whether Trump plans to attend court tomorrow.

Carroll did not speak to reporters when she left court.

E. Jean Carroll is looking for a "windfall" over a series of "mean Tweets from Twitter trolls," Trump attorney Alina Habba said during the defense's opening statement, in which Habba sought to cast doubt on the severity of the alleged harm Carroll said she endured.

Habba told the jury they do not have to believe Carroll's account of how she has suffered as a result of Trump's defamatory statements.

"Her career has prospered and she has been thrust back into the limelight like she has always wanted," Habba said, accusing Carroll of using her story "to obtain as much fame and notoriety as possible."

The defense framed Carroll's lawsuit as nothing more than an attempt to shake down Trump for money over scores of critical Tweets that have nothing to do with the defamatory statements by Trump that are at issue in the trial.

"She expects you as the jury to give her an award for every negative comment that was thrown her way," Habba said. "She is looking for you to give her a windfall because some people on social media said mean things about her."

Habba showed a photo of Carroll in the company of Trump critic Kathy Griffin and said Carroll is close with another critic of the former president, his niece Mary Trump.

"This is someone who craves fame and seeks fame wherever she can get it," Habba said. "She got what she wanted."

The proceedings were dismissed for the day after both sides concluded their opening statements. The trial will resume Wednesday with the first witness in the case.