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Donald Trump needs as a lot media protection as doable of his first prison trial.
How shocking is that, provided that his marketing campaign says he raised $1.5 million after the trial’s first day?
CNN stories that Trump needs his surrogates “blanketing the airwaves,” and that a minimum of 4 VP contenders have argued his case on air or on social media: Elise Stefanik, J.D. Vance, Tim Scott and Doug Burgum – making this a tryout of kinds.
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However crucial takeaway from the trial’s first two days is that prosecutors wish to painting him as a playboy and a womanizer.
Information flash: Is there anybody on the planet that doesn’t already know that? Isn’t that baked into the judicial cake?
Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg, who’s already been criticized for bringing a skinny and extremely partisan case, argues that his method will illuminate Trump’s motives in steering hush cash funds to Stormy Daniels.
Every day, information retailers from around the globe camp out early exterior the dingy Decrease Manhattan courthouse and, with solely sketches from contained in the courtroom, report on what’s occurring by their filter. It’s, in any case, the primary prison continuing in opposition to a former president, and a conviction, in a borough very unfriendly to Trump, might imply a jail sentence.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 16: Former U.S. President Donald Trump returns to the courtroom after a brief recess throughout the second day of his prison trial at Manhattan Felony Court docket on April 16, 2024, in New York Metropolis. Jury choice continues within the prison trial of the previous president, who faces 34 felony counts of falsifying enterprise information within the first of his prison instances to go to trial. That is the first-ever prison trial in opposition to a former president of the USA. (Photograph by Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Pictures)
However the want for one thing catchy caught hearth when Maggie Haberman of the New York Occasions reported that Trump briefly nodded off, his chin hitting his chest. Trump denounced the story as pretend information and Haberman says he later glared at her for a number of lengthy seconds.
As he has completed with earlier civil instances, Trump denounced the trial, and Choose Juan Merchan, as a travesty and election interference. One factor is true: Bragg’s predecessor, Cy Vance Jr., handed on the case, as did federal investigators, and Bragg himself declined to deliver prices earlier than reviving the case many months later. He stretched what would have been a misdemeanor – falsifying hush cash enterprise information – into the bottom class of New York felony.
And Bragg gained election by vowing to go after Trump.
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In court docket, the D.A.’s workplace requested that the gag order be enforced due to Trump’s continued assaults on star witness/convicted felon Michael Cohen, and the decide’s daughter, who works for Democratic candidates.
That didn’t cease Trump from asking for a time without work from court docket to attend his son Barron’s highschool commencement and saying Merchan “possible” wouldn’t grant the request.
Trump has made these trials a part of his marketing campaign, and this one isn’t any exception, as he unloads to the assembled media mob earlier than and after the proceedings, and generally throughout breaks.
On the prosecutors’ efforts to fill the testimony with salacious element, the decide has issued blended rulings.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 16: Former President Donald Trump (R) and his lawyer Todd Blanche seem for the second day of his prison trial at Manhattan Felony Court docket on April 16, 2024, in New York Metropolis. Jury choice continues within the prison trial of the previous president, who faces 34 felony counts of falsifying enterprise information within the first of his prison instances to go to trial. That is the first-ever prison trial in opposition to a former President of the USA. (Photograph by Mark Peterson-Pool/Getty Pictures)
Merchan is not going to permit accusations in opposition to Trump by ladies from his previous, calling these “rumors.”
He additionally is not going to permit the notorious “Entry Hollywood” tape, by which Trump boasted of grabbing ladies by their genitals, to be performed, however mentioned prosecutors might discuss it.
In mild of the Nationwide Enquirer’s central function, since Cohen handed the $130,000 in hush cash to Stormy on the finish of the 2016 marketing campaign by the tabloid, then owned by Trump pal David Pecker, the decide mentioned that Karen McDougal, a Playboy playmate, might testify. In one other catch-and-kill case, she was paid $150,000 to jot down a health column for an additional of Pecker’s magazines so long as she didn’t discuss Trump.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 16: Former President Donald Trump sits within the courtroom throughout the second day of his prison trial at Manhattan Felony Court docket on April 16, 2024, in New York Metropolis. Jury choice continues within the prison trial of the previous president, who faces 34 felony counts of falsifying enterprise information within the first of his prison instances to go to trial. That is the first-ever prison trial in opposition to a former President of the USA. (Photograph by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Pictures)
Daniels says she had a single sexual encounter with Trump; McDougal maintains they’d a 10-month affair crammed with love. Trump has denied each accounts.
That brings us to jury choice.
When the primary group of 96 potential jurors was introduced in Monday, 50 mentioned they’d such sturdy emotions about Trump that they may not be goal.
Extra made the identical declare yesterday, however when either side received to query the jury pool, some members weren’t proudly owning as much as their anti-Trump sentiments.
Trump lawyer Todd Blanche confronted one such particular person a couple of Fb publish applauding Trump shedding a court docket case about his journey ban and mentioned, “get him out and lock him up.” The decide dismissed him for trigger.
One other particular person, requested about an outdated social media publish involving an anti-Trump video, which the potential juror mentioned was solely “reposted.” Merchan booted this particular person as properly.
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By day’s finish, six jurors had been seated.
There was one other conflict in court docket yesterday when the decide mentioned Trump was saying one thing to one of many jurors.
“Your shopper was audibly uttering…I cannot have any jurors intimidated within the court docket,” Merchan advised Trump’s lawyer.
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Simply two days in and we’re mainly mired in jury choice. Trump doesn’t want to fret about attracting a number of media protection, as we’re already at saturation ranges.
Howard Kurtz is the host of FOX Information Channel’s MediaBuzz (Sundays 11 a.m.-12 p.m. ET). Primarily based in Washington, D.C., he joined the community in July 2013 and repeatedly seems on Particular Report with Bret Baier and different packages.
Prosecutors push salacious portrait of Trump, successful some however not all battles
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