The Donald Trump hush money trial began in New York on Monday with jury selection — and a little drama from ‘The Donald’ himself.
Politics :
Facing 34 felony counts for attempting to cover up a $130,000 “hush money” payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016, Trump has repeatedly tried and failed to push back a court trial. Now, with jury selection underway, Trump’s day of reckoning may finally be here. Too bad he’s still playing the victim card and already being admonished by the judge to respect the court or pay the consequences.
Donald Trump is known for causing a commotion on the campaign trail. However, Judge Juan M. Merchan has warned Trump to leave his political antics out of the courtroom trial.
More specifically, the judge told Trump that he is required to attend every day the court is in session. He also promised Trump jail time if he disrupts the proceedings.
“You start whining and making faces and pouting in front of the judge, what tends to happen in a trial is things stop going your way,” David Henderson, a trial attorney and MSNBC legal analyst, said on Saturday.
Ryan Brescia, an associate dean at Albany Law School, wrote in The Daily Beast that although Trump’s boorish behavior plays well with his MAGA fans, it’s unlikely to be viewed as reflecting innocence by a jury of his peers.
“Unlike in the court of public opinion, where Trump’s bluster and bullying may help win supporters and cause some to cower, when court is in session, the rules of evidence and procedure kick in,” Brescia wrote. “The same tactics that might give Trump some public relations wins do not really work in court. In fact, they often backfire.”
At least one analyst predicted Trump’s demise.
“I think he’s likely to face a sentence of incarceration if he’s convicted,” Norm Eisen, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, told USA Today.
However, another analyst warned that the Trump hush money trial may not even get very far and could be overthrown by a MAGA “Trojan Horse.”
“Jury selection is going to be the whole ball game,” Elie Mystal, a legal analyst at The Nation, said during a Sunday appearance on MSNBC. “All Trump needs is one cultist, one dyed-in-the-wool Trump supporter, to sneak into that jury,” Mystal said, adding that a lone Trump sympathizer on the jury could “hang the whole thing.”
Meanwhile, as the Trump hush money trial concluded Day 1 activities, ‘The Donald’ immediately tested Judge Merchan’s patience.
Trump was angry that the judge denied his request to pause the trial so he could attend Supreme Court arguments that will decide if he has presidential immunity in a separate criminal case in Washington, DC.
“Looks like the judge is not going to allow me to escape this scam,” Trump barked to the television cameras outside the courtroom.
After already publicly disrespecting the judge and his family via social media, Trump is playing with fire. We’ll see how long it takes for Judge Marchan to reach his boiling point.
OK WASSUP! discusses Politics:
The Donald Trump hush money trial has begun.
From what I saw on tv he was looking a little sheepish. He is not used to being told what to do and that judge is not playing around with him.