Former President Donald Trump is facing a hush money trial where he is accused of violating a court order by attacking witnesses and the district attorney involved in the case. Despite Trump’s warnings of being thrown in jail, the prosecution is seeking fines rather than imprisonment. Throughout the trial, Trump has exaggerated his legal peril, claiming to have stormed out of the proceedings and holding “emergency” news conferences, which are actually routine appearances before cameras.
Trump’s embellishments have helped him raise $5.6 million in online fundraising during the first week of the trial. However, his behavior in court has been unremarkable, as he has mostly remained silent and composed, despite his dramatic retellings of courtroom events. The trial, which accuses Trump of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, has proceeded rapidly, with more testimony scheduled for the upcoming days.
During the trial, Trump has mostly remained silent, occasionally interacting with his counsel or observing jurors. While he has been reprimanded by the judge for gestures towards jurors, he has generally kept a low profile in the courtroom, reacting minimally to the proceedings. Despite his fundraising emails warning of chaos and doom, Trump’s behavior in court has been subdued and quiet.
The trial has seen tense moments between Trump’s legal team and the judge, with discussions about contempt charges over social media posts relating to jurors. Trump’s attorney was cautioned by the judge about losing credibility in the courtroom. However, Trump himself remained quiet during these exchanges, displaying a level of composure that contrasts with his fundraising emails predicting chaos and drama.
Trump shifted his grievances on Tuesday morning, claiming that police had turned away thousands of his supporters from protesting outside the Manhattan courthouse. He criticized the restrictions on protests near the courthouse, accusing authorities of unfair treatment compared to protests at Columbia University. However, there is little evidence of large-scale public demonstrations supporting Trump around the courthouse, with only a single supporter spotted with a flag on Monday.
Despite Trump’s claims of being unfairly treated and facing dire consequences, the reality of his trial has been less dramatic. The prosecution seeks fines rather than imprisonment, and Trump’s behavior in court has been mostly quiet and composed. His fundraising emails and social media posts paint a more dramatic picture of the events unfolding in court, but the actual trial proceedings have proceeded with relative normalcy and without the chaos described by Trump. The trial continues as scheduled, with more witnesses expected to testify in the coming days.
