Dem
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GOP
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Jury selection is underway in the second defamation trial pitting Donald Trump against E. Jean Carroll. The former president lost the first one, of course, and has already lost the second one; the only question is how much money he has to pay this time.
The commencement of jury selection alone is not newsworthy enough for us to write an item. What does make it newsworthy is the fact that, although it is entirely unnecessary, Trump was present in court yesterday. He's also made a point of being in court for his other civil cases, despite a long history of avoiding courtrooms like the plague. What is going on, here? Certainly, it is at least possible that Trump thinks he can somehow alter the outcome of one or more cases by being there in person. Perhaps he can make a MAGA juror swoon, or needle the judge, or somehow trigger a mistrial. However, if this is his thinking, then at most these things are added benefits of being there in person.
No, the main motivation—obvious to the point that the media is observing that the campaign has moved to the courtroom—is politics. Trump is a savant when it comes to earned media (i.e., free PR), and court is where the free PR is to be found for him these days.
Put it this way: When was the last time that you read a story about one of Trump's rallies? Nobody cares about them anymore, other than the few thousand people who attend in person. Nobody much cares about his speeches, or his social media kvetching, or nearly anything else he does because the novelty/shock has worn off. However, when he goes to court, it remains front-page news. And the front pages are where he wants to be.
In some cases, like the fraud trial, it is easy for him to get lots of attention. He throws a tantrum in the courtroom, holds a whiny press conference afterward in which he claims he's being persecuted, and the next day gallons of printer ink and millions of pixels are expended on the story. Oh, and his fundraising take increases dramatically.
In those cases where the PR isn't there for the taking, Trump is more than capable of creating it for himself. For example, there aren't cameras and throngs of press for the Carroll trial, in significant part because of rules meant to protect both the jury and the plaintiff. No matter; Trump managed to create controversy by demanding that the trial be suspended for a week so that he could attend his mother-in-law's funeral on Wednesday.
As you might imagine, Judge Lewis Kaplan was unimpressed by this request. First, there's no need to delay a week for a one-day funeral. Second, as the judge pointed out, there is no actual need for Trump to be present. Third, someone brought to Kaplan's attention that Trump has a campaign event scheduled for that day, so apparently he's not THAT constrained by his alleged funerary plans. Consequently, Kaplan denied the request.
This, in turn—and undoubtedly, by design—caused Trump to go ballistic. He got on his failing boutique social media platform and screeched:
Crazed, Trump hating Judge, Lewis Kaplan, who presided over the Election Interference Witch Hunt, disguised as a trial, of a woman I have never met before (celebrity photo line does not count - I had no idea who she was!), was asked if he could delay this Rigged Political Scam for one day so that I could attend the FUNERAL OF MY BELOVED MOTHER-IN-LAW WITH MY WIFE, THE FORMER (AND NEXT!) FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES — AND HE SAID NO. He is a bad person and an even worse Judge. Appointed by, and friends with, Clinton, he purposely scheduled this HOAX right in the middle of the important New Hampshire Primary. This is the second trial concerning the same person, who is represented and financed by POLITICAL OPERATIVES. It could have taken place at any time, including months ago. Can anyone imagine a husband not going to his wife’s mother’s funeral over a MADE UP STORY - A story that has been allowed to simmer by a really bad Judge who suffers from TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME!
The dog whistle here is so unsubtle, we can't help but be reminded of the line from 30 Rock: "Just say Jewish; this is taking forever." Trump's attorney, Alina Habba, also used court time to complain about the decision until Kaplan told her in no uncertain terms to zip it.
Anyhow, that is the latest trick in the Donald Trump dog and pony show. Brace for it, because he's got a whole lot of court time coming up, which means a whole lot of whining and complaining and posturing. (Z)