What it's like to watch Trump's "hush money" trial from inside the courtroom

Everyone but nan judge and jurors are seated earlier Donald Trump and his squad participate nan courtroom each time successful his New York criminal trial.

Reporters, different members of nan public, prosecutors and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg himself, must each walk done information screening and beryllium successful place, and quiet, arsenic Trump approaches nan room.

The group is sometimes settled successful earlier Trump's motorcade has moreover pulled up to nan 17-story Art Deco-style building. The tribunal officers' radios abruptly crackle, echoing disconnected nan high, 83-year-old ceilings, announcing nan presence of a erstwhile president.

Former President Donald Trump appears successful tribunal for his "hush money" proceedings astatine Manhattan Criminal Court connected April 23, 2024 successful New York City.  Curtis Means-Pool / Getty Images

Reporters are reminded that they will beryllium removed from nan room if a tribunal serviceman sees their phones. They proceed to clatter distant connected their laptops, a glowing oversea of screens showing notes, Gmail, Slack and Twitter.

Sometimes, Trump tin beryllium heard earlier he enters nan room. A ringing announcer fresh to rumble successful his ain prize fight. He's addressing cameras and a fewer reporters stationed successful a mini pen astir 50 feet from nan courtroom. The unmistakable sound of 1 of nan world's astir celebrated people, muffled done 2 sets of doors, reverberates.

Outside nan room, Trump rages astir Bragg, Judge Juan Merchan and nan case. The erstwhile president is being tried connected 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to an alleged "hush money" costs earlier nan 2016 statesmanlike election. He denies nan allegations and has entered a not blameworthy plea.

Once Trump walks done nan heavy woody double doors — sometimes mounting a brisk pace, sometimes lumbering, ever stone-faced — his demeanor changes. He's accompanied by a squad of lawyers, usually run staff, too, and of people Secret Service agents, who move to nan perimeter aft Trump takes a spot astatine nan defense table.

Inside nan room, he's reserved, quiet. Sometimes he appears to concisely motion off. He occasionally whispers pinch attorneys Todd Blanche, Susan Necheles and Emil Bove. 

He stands astatine attraction erstwhile Merchan enters nan room, and for illustration everyone else, sits only erstwhile told he may.

During jury selection, he sometimes craned his cervix to nan correct to watch New Yorkers successful nan assemblage excavation arsenic they were questioned astir their societal media habits and their feelings astir Trump. He afforded Blanche nan aforesaid attraction during his opening connection Tuesday.

Mostly, Trump stares consecutive ahead. At what, exactly? The machine show he shares pinch nan lawyer adjacent to him? Certainly, sometimes. But mostly he seems to beryllium looking supra that, beyond it, past nan bustling judge's clerk, whose table gives him a beforehand statement spot 2nd only to Merchan's. Is he staring astatine nan wall? The bottommost 3rd of nan wall is wood-paneled, nan remainder painted coagulated white. Also, mounted connected nan wall crossed from Trump is simply a flat-screen television, 1 of 4 successful nan room. At each times, it shows Merchan, nan lawyers, and Trump himself.

This has been Trump's posture done astir of nan proceedings — not conscionable nan first six proceedings days, but besides pretrial hearings making love backmost to his arraignment connected April 4, 2023. He's been warned once, past week, astir juror intimidation, aft gesturing and shaking his caput amid questioning of 1 erstwhile imaginable juror, but has different been stoic.

Contrast Trump's behaviour successful this courtroom pinch his visible and audible displays of disgust that interrupted proceedings successful 2 caller trials.

After repeated outbursts during a January defamation proceedings successful nan civilian lawsuit brought by writer E. Jean Carroll, a national judge threatened to footwear Trump retired of nan courtroom.

In that case, Trump could beryllium heard from nan assemblage groaning astatine times during testimony, and an opposing lawyer said he often made comments specified as, "It is simply a witch hunt," and, "it really is simply a con job." 

The judge said: "Mr. Trump has a correct to beryllium coming here. That correct tin beryllium forfeited if he is disruptive and if he disregards tribunal orders."

During different recent civilian trial, a New York lawsuit successful which he and others from his institution were recovered liable for hundreds of millions of dollars successful fraudulent profits, Trump often seemed uncontrollable. Lawyers successful nan agency of New York Attorney General Letitia James accused him of witnesser intimidation 1 time arsenic his whispers during a existent property executive's grounds turned toward large rasps — his caput bobbing from broadside to side, shaking successful evident disparagement.

The circumstances of those civilian tests were different. Trump was not required to beryllium present, and could travel and spell arsenic he pleased — occasionally opinionated and leaving without warning, his Secret Service entourage scrambling to support up. The judge successful nan defamation proceedings interrupted Carroll's closing statement to statement that Trump had gotten up and walked out. He returned for his lawyer's closing, and past later exited nan courthouse for bully astir 30 minutes earlier nan assemblage announced its $83.3 cardinal judgement against him.

Now, Trump is simply a criminal defendant. He's required to be nan full trial, and to beryllium softly unless expressly granted support to do otherwise. 

He sought support to walk Thursday greeting successful Washington, D.C., watching arguments earlier nan Supreme Court successful a matter related to different of his criminal cases. Merchan denied that request.

He asked to adjourn nan proceedings for 1 time successful May to be his son's graduation. One of his lawyers made a akin petition for a time successful June. Merchan said maybe, tacitly hitting astatine nan galore attempts Trump's squad has made to hold nan trial.

"If everything is going according to schedule without unnecessary delays, past I americium judge we will beryllium capable to adjourn for 1 aliases some of those days, but if we are moving down schedule, we will not beryllium capable to," Merchan said.

Trump complained to reporters extracurricular nan courtroom erstwhile it was acold connected April 18. Inside, Blanche had to lodge nan title for him.

Merchan's consequence included an study that tribunal staff, lawyers, reporters and others who've spent overmuch clip successful Room 1530 person agelong acknowledged: The room has 2 temperatures, acold and hot.

"I would alternatively beryllium existent acold than sweating," Merchan said.

Trump must emergence erstwhile Merchan aliases nan assemblage enters and exits, for illustration thousands of different defendants who person sat successful nan aforesaid seat. 

Once, arsenic proceedings were wrapping up connected Friday, April 19, Trump roseate conscionable a spot excessively early.

"Sir, tin you please person a seat," Merchan told him. The judge decides erstwhile nan suspect tin time off his courtroom.

But if Merchan is apical canine successful his courtroom, there's nary mistaking who's adjacent successful nan hierarchy. Trump gets up and walks retired pinch his unit successful tow. He hands his telephone to an aide. The dense woody doors adjacent again. He's backmost successful nan hallway defending himself successful beforehand of nan waiting cameras.

Everyone wrong nan room waits for nan power crackles, this clip to awesome that nan area is clear. Until then, nary 1 is allowed to guidelines up. Reporters are admonished to not speak loudly. 

As nan minutes dragged connected Monday, during and aft Trump's hallway speech, Bragg and his squad of prosecutors tried to flight done a broadside doorway typically utilized by courtroom staff. They returned a infinitesimal later, appearing disappointment and annoyed, incapable to depart. 

Finally, nan power chorus. Bragg, his caput down, quickly heads retired done that aforesaid broadside door. The remainder of nan room is past allowed to record out. 

Trump has near nan building.

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• Donald Trump