Joe.My.God. LGBT News
The Associated Press reports:
He seems “selfish and self-serving,” said one woman. The way he carries himself in public “leaves something to be desired,” said another. His “negative rhetoric and bias,” said another man, is what is “most harmful.” Over the past week, Donald Trump has been forced to sit inside a frigid New York courtroom and listen to a parade of potential jurors in his criminal hush money trial share their unvarnished assessments of him.
It’s been a dramatic departure for the former president and presumptive 2024 GOP nominee, who is accustomed to spending his days in a cocoon of cheering crowds and constant adulation. “He’s the object of derision. It’s his nightmare. He can’t control the script. He can’t control the cinematography. He can’t control what’s being said about him. And the outcome could go in a direction he really doesn’t want,” said Tim O’Brien, a Trump biographer and critic.
The Daily Beast reports:
Trump abruptly stood up—apparently thinking the day was over. Immediately, Merchan turned his face to the former president and said in a firm voice: “Sir, can you please have a seat.” His long, black robes dangled from beneath his right hand as he waved it down, like a man addressing his dog. It wasn’t a question.
And while the judge maintains a stoic demeanor at all times, the tone was decidedly sharper than even the one he’d taken when expressing disappointment in Trump’s lawyers minutes earlier.
Without hesitation, Trump went and plopped straight back down into his maroon leather chair at the defense table—and remained for another minute, fuming as the judge gathered his paperwork and strolled toward his chambers. As the judge exited the courtroom, Trump shot up and made straight for the back, furious.
The AP piece linked above goes on to describe how Trump is normally surrounded by fawning Mar-A-Lago members and gushing crowds at his rallies, a sharp contrast from days of having to listen to prospective jurors tell the court what a despicable piece of shit he is. One such potential juror has gained a bit of social media fame for telling the judge that he wouldn’t believe a word from Trump’s mouth “even if his tongue was notarized.”
Trump was forced to listen silently as potential jurors offered their unvarnished assessments of him (by @colvinj) https://t.co/7gUe0ngirf
— Mike Sisak 🗒️ (@mikesisak) April 20, 2024
The first week of Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York City ended with a power move by the judge, who ordered the former president to take a seat—where he remained fuming in his chair until the judge left the courtroom.https://t.co/cxVgrXLB1S
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) April 19, 2024