Trump News Today:
Relief for Trump?
The Judge in case of Classified Documents postponed the trial date to an indefinite time. The trial was set to start on May 20, 2024, but now pushed almost after the General Elections in November 2024. Judge Aileen Cannon was a Trump nominee, appointed in 2020. The defender in the case says the judge is trying to derail the case with unprecedented rulings.
Storm(y) is Coming:
It is expected that Stormy Daniel will testify before the jury in the historic criminal trial of the Hush Money against Donald Trump. The Manhattan courthouse expects a large number of visitors including the media and the public as the main witness is coming today.
The main witness in the Hush Money Trial, Stormy Daniels took the stand and testified that she had an extramarital relationship with Donald Trump in 2006 during a Celebrity Golf Tournament in Lake Tahoe Golf Resort, California where she met Trump through an adult film producer who introduced her to Trump.
She said Trump approached her to have dinner with him, but he refused initially because of other commitments. But her publicist convinced her to go have dinner with Trump saying, “What possibly go wrong?”
So she went to Harrah’s hotel where they had dinner before leaving for the Penthouse suite. Daniels said during that dinner Trump told her that “he and Melania slept in separate rooms and don’t worry about her.”
Stormy Daniels then detailed about their encounter.
After their sexual encounter, they had many visits to different places including Trump Banglaw in California and Trump Tower in New York. She said she was hopeful to get a role in Trump’s The Apprentice which was popular at that time.
She said she gave an interview to Touch Weekly magazine in 2011 but they did not publish it. After Trump announced his bid for the presidency in 2015 her publicist wanted to sell the story but could not succeed. When the infamous “Access Hollywood Tape” came out in 2016, she said she along with her publicist decided to tell the story.
Soon after that, Trump contacted her through his lawyer Micheal Cohen, and offered $130,000 for staying silent regarding the story. She said that was the best thing that happened and she eventually accepted the offer. She said she didn’t care about the amount paid, she just wanted to be safe after an incident happened in 2011 where a man threatened her in Las Vegas while she was with her daughter.
However, in 2018 her lawyer Keith Davidson signed a statement where she denied having an affair with Trump and if she received any payment from him, although it’s not true.
She said she then hired Michael Avenatti to get out of that NDA at the end of 2018. She said Trump and Cohen agreed to not enforce NDA. During that time she published her book Full Disclosure in 2018.
Trump Attorney asked her if she owed Trump $560,000 which she replied “I’ve chosen not to pay while it’s still pending, yes”
Shortly after that, Judge Merchan called the day, and court adjourned. The cross-examination of Daniels will continue on Thursday
The Vice President:
A donor retreat has been organized today at Mar a Lago, Florida where the Vice President will be nominated for Donald Trump. A total of seven people have been invited to the event with 400 hundred other donors today.
Marco Rubio and Dough Burgrum are the strong contestants for the VP, but it could be a woman, let’s see who becomes the vice president.
On Friday after the hearing ended Donald Trump went to New York Fire Department and New York Police Department and handed over the Pizzas to employees. Trump used his court appearances as a campaign retreat, after attending court he went to the public to deliver a message or pizzas sometimes. He knows how to engage the media who are following his movement.
The Hearing Started Again:
On Thursday after a break from Labor Day, the Trump Hush Money Trial started again, where prosecutors tried again to hold Trump accountable for gag orders for his remarks in the last few days and during the campaign rallies.
Trump violated the gag orders at different points and on different occasions, he called “the jury is 95% Democrats” in a radio show. Then at a campaign rally, he said “very nice” for David Pecker the publisher of National Enquirer. His remarks about Micheal Cohen as “a convicted liar” and “he got caught lying in the last trial” also came under gag order violation.
Judge Merchan did not rule his order. The hearing proceeded further with Keith Davidson the lawyer of Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal who made deals with Trump on the stands for testimony. Davidson admitted that he received $10,000 for finalizing the deal between the two parties. Hearing is going on.
Prosecutors asked Keith Davidson about a statement made by Stormy Daniels in 2018 when she said, “I recently became aware that certain news outlets are alleging that I had a sexual and/or romantic affair. … I am stating with complete clarity that this is false. … Rumors that I have received hush money from Donald Trump are completely false.” the statement was prepared by Davidson. He testifies that the statement was technically true.
Trump on Campaign Trail:
Trump hit the campaign trail on Labor Day with back-to-back rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin. A large number of crowd was present in rallies, chanting Trump Trump Trump. Even after the brutal trial in New York where Trump’s character is discussed daily in mainstream media and on social media. But still, people standing behind him reason might be they are fed up with Biden’s policies and high inflation rates. This trend is worrying for the Biden campaign who already behind in every major survey from different media and survey institutions.
Stop Posting on Social Media or Go to Jail:
On Tuesday after a gap of three days, the Trump Hush Money Trial started again, the prosecutors requested Judge Juan Merchan already to fine Donald Trump for violating gag orders before resuming the case. Judge Merchan then fined Trump $9000 for violating gag orders and posting on his social media platform Truth Social and talking to the general public against the jurors, witnesses, court employees, and their family members. The judge also warned him to stop doing this otherwise face jail time. The judge ordered Trump to delete all the posts before 02:15 PM.
The witness who showed up today on the stand was Attorney Keith Davidson who struck deals for McDougal and Daniels separately, through which Karen McDougal got $150,000 from National Enquirer company AMI and Stormy Daniels got $130,000 from Micheal Cohen’s personal account days before 2016 presidential elections.
Another witness called on the witness stand was Robert Browning the custodian of C-SPAN archives, who was called in to authenticate the tapes played in the courtroom. Mr. Browning came from Indiana to New York just to testify. On the stand, he said I am a little bit nervous while doing this.
Different videos of Trump are shown to the jury in court where Trump says ‘I have no idea who these women are.’ in the video he says ‘As you have seen, right now I’m being viciously attacked with lies and smears. It’s a phony deal.”
Clips were played for Robert Browning while he was on the stand. One clip, from an October 2016 Trump campaign rally in North Carolina, where Trump talked about the women who claimed to have been touched inappropriately by him. Browning authenticated the video and said ‘While the event is taking place, there’s a producer who is watching the video from beginning to the end to make sure there’s no interruptions in the transmission’
Another witness was called up, Phillip Thompson he is a worker at Esquire Deposition Solutions a court reporting company.
Two More Witnesses:
Two more witnesses were brought in by prosecutors: Rohna Graff a personal gatekeeper for Donald Trump and the 2nd witness was Gary Farro, a banker for Micheal Cohen.
Graff was reluctant to testify against her former boss but court orders bound her to follow the procedure. She said she entered the contact information of Stormy Daniels and McDougal in an electronic journal, and she saw Daniels on the 26th floor of Trump Tower in 2015.
Farro testified that he opened a bank account for Cohen in 2016 in ‘First Republic Bank’ (which was closed and sold to JP Morgan) few days before the Presidential elections. Cohen used the same bank account to transfer funds to Porn Star. Farro will continue his testimony on Tuesday as there is a break on Monday and the court will resume on Tuesday again.
Trump Met DeSantis
The GOP rivals Donal Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis met over breakfast on Sunday. The meeting took place in Florida at Shell Bay Club a golfing club where Trump reached to meet the Governor for future collaboration.
The meeting was arranged by Real Estate tycoon Steven Witkoff who is a friend of both. DeSantis already informed his supporters that he would raise funds for Trump’s campaign.
Trump and DeSantis faced each other during primaries when the Florida Governor was considered a strong candidate for GOP nominee for president but later he lost the race to Nikki Haley and Trump consequently. Desantis referred to Trump’s campaign based on personal issues not national or public issues.
He also referred to Trump’s famous line “Drain the swamp” with “the swamp was not drained” which can tell the differences between the two.
DeSantis also categorically declared that he is not a VP hopeful. He said last month “I can tell you under any circumstance, I will not accept” the vice presidential nomination.
Cristi Noem
The name is circulating everywhere, because of her involvement in inhuman behavior towards animals. Cristi is considered a VP candidate of Donald Trump. The Guardian came up with a story from Cristi’s memoir where she wrote she killed her dog. The book is ready to publish on 07 May 2024.
In federal court in New York, a judge rejected Trump’s request for a new trial in a defamation case in which he was ordered to pay $83.3 million to E. Jean Carroll an advice columnist for his social media attacks over her claims that he sexually assaulted her.
The criminal case will resume on Tuesday as Monday will be a long day off. The testimony will continue from Thursday to Friday. David Pecker, Rohna Graff, and Gary Farro also testified last week.
More Troubles for Trump:
While the Hush Money Trial is going on in New York. Another hearing is started at the Supreme Court on Absolute Immunity for the former President.
David Pecker’s testimony continue on Thursday, where he told some new revelations in the case. His meeting with Trump at the White House after he was elected as President where Trump asked about “our girl” Karen McDougls, who was paid $150,000 to remain silent.
Judge Merchan scheduled a gag order hearing on Wednesday. The prosecutors put the case of Trump violating the gag order by calling by name and harassing the witnesses especially Micheal Cohen and Stormy Daniels.
The court adjourned at 01:30 PM on Thursday and the jury left the courtroom. The testimony of David Pecker will continue on Friday.
World Leaders Met Trump:
Despite facing daily court battles, Donald Trump has also been meeting with world leaders. He recently met with Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, and last night, he met with Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso at Trump Tower in New York.
One might wonder why world leaders are engaging with Trump despite the criminal charges he is facing. If found guilty in the Hush Money Trial, he could potentially face four years in prison. Is the world perceiving Trump as the next president of the United States? Surveys and opinion polls consistently show Trump ahead of Biden.
Meanwhile, in the courtroom, David Pecker, former editor of the National Enquirer and an old friend of Trump, confessed that he served as ‘the eyes and ears’ for Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. He admitted to receiving money from the Trump Organization to portray Trump in a positive light.
TRUMP, COHEN & PECKER The Opening Statement:
The historical trial of a former President of the United States began with opening statements from both sides on Monday. The prosecutors accused Trump of paying $130,000 to Stormy Daniels to stay silent regarding their sexual relationship in 2007 and lying in business records about the payment made.
The Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo said it was a pure and simple fraud case where the former President illegally paid money to silence someone of an illicit relationship while showing receipts as a business expense.
Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche defended by saying the payments were made by Trump organization employee Tump only signed the checks and had nothing to do with it. Micheal Cohen ex Trump’s lawyer and fixer who paid Stormy Daniels the amount from his account and later got reimbursement from the Trump organization is the key witness in this case. Blanche said Cohen is obsessed with Trump and wants to see him in prison, he started a podcast and wrote a book as well.
The prosecutors will present Karen McDougal as a witness (another porn star) who had a sexual relationship with Trump in 2006. Trump paid her $150000 before the 2016 elections to remain silent.
The first witness presented by prosecutors was David Pecker ex-publisher of National Enquirer and longtime Trump friend who said he had a meeting with Trump and Cohen in 2015 in Trump Tower for creating a positive image of the then-candidate with his writings in the journal. The court calls up at 2:00 PM Pecker will testify again on Tuesday.
Outside the courtroom, Trump refers to today’s hearing as ‘a bookkeeping case and not a big issue. He said this is what they’re trying to take me off the trail for. Checks are being paid to a lawyer.
THE HEARING DAY:
Today is Monday, and the court will reconvene for the Donald Trump Hush Money Trial. The 12-member jury, along with 6 alternates, was finalized on Friday. Today, the jury will testify, and the proceedings will officially commence.
On Saturday the Trump rally scheduled in Wilmington, North Carolina, was canceled due to bad weather and a storm in the area. Consequently, Trump has not had an opportunity to address public gatherings since the court proceedings began in Manhattan Criminal Court. There is no rally in April anymore, the next rally is scheduled for May 2024.
TRUMP RALLY TODAY:
Saturday isn’t typically a court day, but despite his commitments during the week due to the Hush Money trial, Donald Trump has decided to address a rally today in Wilmington, North Carolina. This would mark his first rally since the trial began.
The man who set himself on fire last day in front of the Criminal Court Building in Manhattan, New York, where the Trump trial is underway, has been identified as Maxwell Azzarello, a resident of St. Augustine, Florida. He was pronounced dead on Friday night due to severe burns.
Azzarello was a self-proclaimed researcher, with his backpack filled with pamphlets bearing the message, “This extreme act of protest is to draw attention to an urgent and important discovery: We are victims of a totalitarian con, and our own government (along with many of their allies) is about to hit us with an apocalyptic fascist world coup.”
He had been in New York since last week, protesting in the court-designated protest area against both Republican and Democrat parties.
A MAN SET HIMSELF ON FIRE:
On Friday a man set himself on fire in front of the Criminal Court building in Manhattan, New York. The motive is not clear whether it’s a protest or what. The identity of the person is also not clear so far.
The 12-member jury is finalized on Friday with 6 alternates.
Prosecutors accused Trump of violating gag orders by posting remarks against jurors on social media specifically about Micheal Cohen on Truth Social. The proceeding will start after the weekend on Monday.
Donal Trump will address a rally today on 20 April 2024 in Wilmington, North Carolina.
THE JURY HAS FINALIZED:
The jury of 12 members has been finalized on Thursday in the Trump Hush Money trial. One juror however stepped back from the proceedings because of the fear of the sensitivity of the case as her identity had been revealed by the media, she had been finalized a day before.
The court dismissed the second juror for failure to properly complete the questionnaire provided by the court.
While the main jury has been finalized, six alternate jurors will also be selected as a precaution for emergencies or incidents involving the current jurors. The jury proceedings are scheduled to continue on Friday, the final day of the week, involving questionnaires and cross-questions from both sides. Judge Merchan remains optimistic that the trial will commence on Monday
On Thursday, Trump was observed using a cell phone in the courtroom. The Judge cautioned him against doing so and warned him to refrain from repeating the behavior.
THE JURY SELECTION:
The selection of 12 Jury members who will decide Donald Trump’s fate in the Hush Money Trial is underway. So far 7 jurors have been selected out of 100 potential jurors, more will be finalized on Thursday and Friday as Wednesdays and weekends are not court days.
So far 2 potential jurors have been denied because of their social media involvement in anti-Trump or pro-Biden bias. Trump repeatedly complained about the process of selection of the jury and about Judge Merchan being unfairly selected jurors. He posted on Truth Social that, ‘this is the 2nd worst venue in the country (courthouse)’ and referred to his criminal case as ‘politically motivated’ and ‘a witch hunt.’
The court will resume on Thursday and the Jury will finalize by Friday. The 7 jurors who were finalized were advised to come back to court on Monday for opening statements.
DAY 2: DONALD TRUMP CRIMINAL TRIAL:
After the hearing concluded on the second day, Donald Trump emerged from the courtroom and informed reporters that Judge Merchan had not permitted him to attend his son Barron Trump’s graduation ceremony on Friday.
However, Judge Merchan says ‘We will consider this request later.’
Trump’s courtroom attendance is restricted to four days a week—Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday—leaving him free on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday.
TRIAL OF THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES:
During the first day of the hearing, Donald Trump was observed napping during the court proceedings, according to accounts from news reporters and individuals present in the courtroom. The day’s proceedings proved challenging for Mr. Trump, as he struggled to remain alert throughout and, at one point, even fell asleep. Consequently, a new nickname has emerged for Trump: “Sleepy Don,” likewise his habit of using shortened names to mock his opponents.
TRIAL OF THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES:
It’s Monday, and a historic criminal trial against a former President of the United States is scheduled to begin today in a Manhattan, New York court. This marks the first time a former president will face criminal proceedings after leaving office. The potential consequences of this trial and its impact on the upcoming elections are significant.
Trump is expected to appear in the courtroom before Judge Juan Merchan for the trial of the hush money paid to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential elections. However, due to court orders, Trump is permitted to be present in the courtroom for four days a week over the next 2-3 months until the final verdict. This limitation leaves him with only 3 days a week available for campaign activities and rallies.
Just a day before the hush money criminal trial was set to begin on Monday, and despite the gag order issued by a New York Judge, Trump took to his social media app Truth Social and accused Michael Cohen of being a liar. Cohen, the key witness and central figure who facilitated the payment to Stormy Daniels to ensure her silence, is at the center of this historic case.
It marks the first instance where a former US President faces criminal charges. Trump wrote ‘There is NO WAY I can be given a Fair Trial on Monday with Judge Juan Merchan, who is totally conflicted and corrupt, presiding.’
Three different judges in three different cases issued gag orders to stop Trump from provoking remarks against anyone involved in the cases. But Trump is continuously violating the court orders and attacking people who are directly or indirectly involved in the cases.
Trump has arranged a rally on 13 April 2024 in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania. The trial will start on Monday 15 April 2024.
Donald Trump openly said the name of Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday in Palm Beach, Florida. Letitia is investigating Trump’s criminal charges of 2022 where she accused Donald Trump and the Trump organization of fraud and deceiving by overvaluing the assets for loans and taxation.
In February Trump pleaded guilty to fraud in the New York Supreme Court and was liable to pay $355 million and also barred to do business in New York.
During Wednesday’s event, Trump said; ”They put him into the state of New York and then ultimately into the D.A.’s office to run the case. This is being run by [President Joe] Biden.” “They put a man into the state … Letitia Jones. Peekaboo, I call her. Peekaboo. They put a man into that one, Letitia, they put a man into that one to run it and then he went into the D.A.’s office,” he said.