"Mr. Trump has a right to be present here," said Judge Lewis A. Kaplan. "That right can be forfeited and it can be forfeited if he is disruptive, which is what has been reported to me, and if he disregards court orders."

Kaplan then addressed Trump directly, saying: "Mr. Trump, I hope I don't have to consider excluding you from the trial," to which Trump replied: "I would love it."

"I understand you're probably very eager for me to do that because you just can't control yourself," Kaplan replied, to which Trump shot back "You can't either."

The exchange followed an objection raised by Shawn Crowley, one of E. Jean Carroll's attorneys, over the issue of Trump speaking loudly enough to potentially be within earshot of the jury, after Trump told his attorney that Carroll's allegation "really is a con job" and a "witch hunt," Crowley told the judge.

Carroll has been testifying under direct examination for hours Wednesday, telling jurors that her life was upended by Trump's defamatory statements about her after she accused him in 2019 of raping her in the mid-1990s. 

Judge Kaplan also repeatedly admonished Habba during the proceeding, including during a testy exchange at the beginning of the day before the jury entered the courtroom. -The Messenger

Kaplan also told Habba to "sit down" after she requested an adjournment tomorrow so Trump could attend his mother-in-law's funeral - a request Kaplan had previously denied.