Supporters and protesters outside Trump’s criminal trial: Rumors of Trump falling asleep denied
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Donald Trump’s campaign has furiously denied rumours that the former president fell asleep during the first day of his historic criminal trial in New York.
At various points during proceedings on Monday, Mr Trump, who is making history once again as the first American president to ever stand trial on criminal charges, appeared to struggle to keep his eyes open, earning the nicknames “Sleepy Don” and “Don Snoreleone” – the latter a reference to the mafia kingpin Don Vito Corleone from the Godfather series.
The Republican has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in a bid to conceal a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election in order to silence her about an alleged affair in 2006.
The charges on their own are misdemeanours but have been elevated to felonies because Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg says they violated state and federal election laws.
Mr Trump denies the affair and has pleaded not guilty.
Jury selection in the trail began on Monday and will continue on Tuesday, with 50 people rejected so far after admitting they could not be fair or impartial to the defendant.
Truth Social: Trump gripes about case and wishes Americans a ‘Happy Tax Day’
Unsurprisingly, Your Favourite President has been moaning about the hush money on Truth Social again overnight, moving on from complaining about missing Barron’s high to graduation ceremony to whining that he will also be forced to miss the Supreme Court’s hearing on his dubious “presidential immunity” defence on Thursday 25 April.
Elsewhere, he’s been posting favourable Fox coverage from yesterday, attempting to fundraise off his legal “persecution” and, er, wishing Americans a “Happy Tax Day”.
Ho ho ho, what will you be asking Janet Yellen for this year little boy?
Joe Sommerlad16 April 2024 08:45
