Prosecutors push salacious portrait of Trump, winning some but not all battles

Donald Trump needs as a lot media protection as doable of his first prison trial.

How shocking is that, on condition that his marketing campaign says he raised $1.5 million after the trial’s first day?

CNN studies that Trump needs his surrogates “blanketing the airwaves,” and that at the very least 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 types.

ISRAEL’S SUCCESS, IRAN’S FAILURE AND THE CHANCES OF IGNITING THE MIDEAST POWDER KEG

But a very powerful takeaway from the trial’s first two days is that prosecutors wish to painting him as a playboy and a womanizer.

News 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. 

Each day, information retailers from all over the world camp out early exterior the dingy Lower Manhattan courthouse and, with solely sketches from contained in the courtroom, report on what’s taking place by way of their filter. It is, after all, the primary prison continuing towards 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 Criminal Court on April 16, 2024, in New York City. 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. This is the first-ever prison trial towards a former president of the United States. (Photo by Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images)

But the necessity for one thing catchy caught fireplace when Maggie Haberman of the New York Times reported that Trump briefly nodded off, his chin hitting his chest. Trump denounced the story as faux 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 Judge 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 fees earlier than reviving the case many months later. He stretched what would have been a misdemeanor – falsifying hush cash enterprise information – into the lowest class of New York felony.

And Bragg received election by vowing to go after Trump.

IS OUR FIERCELY TRIBAL POLITICS JUST A DISTORTION OF REALITY?

In court docket, the D.A.’s workplace requested that the gag order be enforced as a result of of Trump’s continued assaults on star witness/convicted felon Michael Cohen, and the choose’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 “likely” wouldn’t grant the request.

Trump has made these trials half 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 typically throughout breaks.

On the prosecutors’ efforts to fill the testimony with salacious element, the choose has issued combined 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 Criminal Court on April 16, 2024, in New York City. 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. This is the first-ever prison trial towards a former President of the United States. (Photo by Mark Peterson-Pool/Getty Images)

Merchan will not enable accusations towards Trump by ladies from his previous, calling these “rumors.”

He additionally will not enable the notorious “Access Hollywood” tape, wherein Trump boasted of grabbing ladies by their genitals, to be performed, but mentioned prosecutors might discuss it.

In mild of the National Enquirer’s central function, since Cohen handed the $130,000 in hush cash to Stormy on the finish of the 2016 marketing campaign by way of the tabloid, then owned by Trump pal David Pecker, the choose mentioned that Karen McDougal, a Playboy playmate, might testify. In one other catch-and-kill case, she was paid $150,000 to write down a health column for one more 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 Criminal Court on April 16, 2024, in New York City. 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. This is the first-ever prison trial towards a former President of the United States. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

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.

More made the identical declare yesterday, but when each side acquired to query the jury pool, some members have been not proudly owning as much as their anti-Trump sentiments.

Trump lawyer Todd Blanche confronted one such particular person about a Facebook publish applauding Trump dropping a court docket case about his journey ban and mentioned, “get him out and lock him up.” The choose dismissed him for trigger.

Another 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 nicely.

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES

By day’s finish, six jurors had been seated.

There was one other conflict in court docket yesterday when the choose mentioned Trump was saying one thing to 1 of the jurors.

“Your client was audibly uttering…I will not have any jurors intimidated in the court,” Merchan instructed Trump’s lawyer.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Just two days in and we’re principally mired in jury choice. Trump doesn’t want to fret about attracting heaps of media protection, as we’re already at saturation ranges.