Trump will miss weeks of campaign
Donald Trump would rather be anywhere other than Manhattan’s 100 Centre St courthouse on Monday (US time), where history will be made at the opening of the first criminal trial of an American president.
The Republican hopeful has made no secret of it. “How can you run for election and be sitting in a courthouse in Manhattan all day long?” Trump said to a hallway of court reporters.
“I’m supposed to be in South Carolina right now, where other people are. I shouldn’t be in a courthouse.”
After a fractious week of jury selection, his hush money trial will keep Trump in New York over the next five weeks and on the sidelines in his rematch election with United States President Joe Biden.
The trial centres on 34 charges related to a US$130,000 (NZ$220,000) payment that Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, made to the porn actress Stormy Daniels to prevent her claims of a sexual encounter with Trump being aired during the 2016 presidential race.
Last week, Judge Juan Merchan overruled defence complaints following the selection of a juror who confessed to not liking Trump. Merchan said it was common for defendants to be not “very likeable”.
Last week ended with a man, Max Azzarello, setting himself on fire outside the court, having posted a manifesto of conspiracy theories online. He died in hospital. Trump, who is required to attend every day that the court is sitting, could be a wildcard defence witness. The former president told reporters on Friday that he “absolutely” would take the stand, but lawyers in high-stakes criminal trials usually advise against it.
His team has played down the effect the trial may have on voters. They say the case is the weakest of the criminal lawsuits he faces and believe having this trial first will boost Trump’s support with voters who think he is the victim of a witch-hunt.
In private, however, Trump’s team has recognised that the necessities of daily appearances will probably hamper his campaign, and provide further ammunition for Biden’s re-election bid.