E Jean Carroll’s defamation trial against Donald Trump continued on Thursday in Manhattan federal court days after a Covid scare delayed proceedings. Trump entered the courtroom at approximately 10am while Carroll’s last witness – her former Elle editor Roberta Myers – was on the stand.

Trump’s lawyers indicated earlier this week that they expect to call the former president as a witness. Carroll’s team called Myers first thing and her testimony lasted about 20 minutes.

Related: Can Donald Trump’s courtroom antics be contained?

Myers was questioned about her work history and she described a 30-year magazine career which, in addition to helming Elle, included stints at Rolling Stone and Interview.

She also said in court that she had previously met Donald Trump. It was “when I was on an episode of Celebrity Apprentice. I was there as an editor of Elle to present what was known as a challenge to apprentices.”

Myers described Carroll as a talented “truth-teller” and so popular that Elle considered her a destination for readers – who liked her so much they would pick up the magazine and immediately flip to her column. Myers said Carroll’s performance was so good that she decided to give her a raise.

“I think her column was sort of the leader of the pack,” Myers said of Carroll’s writing and described how her column inspired others to launch similar concepts. Carroll’s team also tried to establish that Myers did not have a deep personal relationship with Carroll, to undermine suggestion of bias.

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“Did she ever tell you about her personal life?” Myers said: “No.”

When asked: “Did she ever tell you she was sexually assaulted by Donald Trump,” Myers also responded: “No.”

Trump’s lead attorney, Alina Habba, began her cross-examination of Myers by suggesting that she was biased. “You didn’t vote for Donald Trump in 2016, right?” Habba asked. “Or in 2020?” She further pressed: “You don’t plan on voting for him in 2024, do you?”

Carroll’s team is now presenting a handful of exhibits to jurors, including a television appearance in which Trump repeated a denial and an excerpt of a video deposition in which he described his wealth.

The presentation of this evidence is not expected to take that long, meaning Trump could soon take the stand if he follows through with his past statements about testifying.

The possible courtroom showdown was initially expected to unfold on Monday. A juror fell ill with Covid symptoms en route to the courthouse, however, derailing proceedings.

Carroll’s lead attorney, Roberta Kaplan, had argued earlier this week that proceedings should continue without this juror. It was subsequently revealed in court, however, that Trump’s team had been exposed to Covid.

Habba said that she had been present at a dinner with her parents several days earlier and that at least one of them had come down with Covid. Habba on Monday claimed to feel under the weather.

The judge agreed to postpone proceedings until Tuesday so that parties on Carroll’s case, as well as jurors, could take Covid tests. Habba then pointed out that Trump, who was going to testify, would be busy campaigning on Tuesday, and asked for another postponement.

“My client reminded me, and I am in trial mode, I apologize, so tomorrow is the New Hampshire primary, and he needs to be in New Hampshire. He was planning to testify,” Habba said. “Clearly, he flew in last night to be here. I would just need his testimony to be Wednesday in light of the news about the juror today.”

Judge Lewis Kaplan said he would not decide immediately. Later that day, a court filing revealed that proceedings would be postponed until Wednesday.

A court filing on Tuesday indicated proceedings would be postponed yet again until Thursday. No explanation for either postponement was given.