Witness says E Jean Carroll called her ‘hyperventilating’ after alleged rape by Trump

A close friend of E Jean Carroll has told a New York jury she received a distressed call from the advice columnist within minutes of Donald Trump allegedly raping her.

Lisa Birnbach testified at Carroll's civil action against the former president on Tuesday that she was feeding her children at home when Carroll called "breathless, hyperventilating, emotional" in spring 1996.

"She said: 'Lisa, you're not going to believe what happened to me'," Birnbach said.

The magazine writer and editor described Carroll giving a brief description of meeting Trump at the entrance to the luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman and how they decided to shop together. Birnbach said Carroll described Trump pinning her to a changing room wall and assaulting her.

"E Jean said to me many times, 'He pulled down my tights, he pulled down my tights,' almost like she couldn't believe it had just happened to her," she said.

Birnbach said Carroll described Trump forcing first his fingers then his penis into her vagina.

"As soon as she said that, even though I knew my children didn't know the word, I ducked out of the room and I whispered, 'E Jean, he raped you, you should go to the police.' She said: 'No, no I don't want to go to the police.' I said: 'He raped you. I'll take you to the police,'" Birnbach recounted.