December 7, 2023

AMAZED: Pundits respond to Trump courtroom BLOW-UPS

trump exiting courtroom

Donald Trump had a rough Monday morning and is having an even tougher afternoon as a witness in his own fraud trial in a New York City courtroom.

That would be bad enough, but Trump is used to controlling every room he’s ever been in. As he tried that tactic on Monday it didn’t go so well. People noticed.

Given that there were no cameras allowed in the courtroom, the tiniest details of his testimony texted out shot across the country as fast as lightning.

Observers were both mortified and entertained at the same time. It isn’t often Trump is told what to do and informed that he is wrong.

As the diminished real estate magnate was sweating on the witness stand, the pundits on social media were having a field day commenting on Trump’s level of discomfort in “not controlling the room.”

Below we set out some examples of the sharpest observations.

This sort of double-speak has gotten him where he is in life. Unfortunately, it’s not serving him well in the courtroom today.

He has other options. He could have invoked his 5th Amendment right to not incriminate himself, but he hasn’t yet done so.

One of the advantages to taking the Fifth is that one isn’t caught in an easily proven lie, as many noticed.

On that basis alone, he could be charged with a crime, though he likely will not be. Trump’s crimes extend well beyond lying on a witness stand.

The state needed to get Trump to admit to his responsibility in this matter, and when he testified to his duties as CEO, he takes on duties and obligations that go beyond “the kids.”

Many noted that when backed into a corner where he was caught with a lie, he would choose another lie – which generally doesn’t serve one well in court.

It is odd that Trump believes it is a good strategy to attack the judge, and many have pointed out that one is rarely well-served in doing so! The judge is the trier of fact – the “home plate umpire” – as one reporter just referenced, and yet Trump argued with Judge Engoron which left jaws dropped:

As Mr. Lowell points out, this is actually not an answer to a question:

Hilariously, Trump seems to think that the more times he says something, the more likely someone will believe it. People were quick to correct that notion.

One doesn’t have to be a lawyer to know that you don’t sit on the witness stand and tell the judge that he is wrong. This was an enjoyable read:

Along the exact same line, people noted how bizarrely Trump behaved when he was not in charge of the room:

One suspects that Trump will never be on a witness stand ever again, surely not in a criminal case.

People couldn’t help but laugh at some of his answers that were A) Irrelevant, and B) Insane:

Of course, it would have been far more fun to be in the courtroom, but following the trial on Twitter is highly entertaining in and of itself.

Given that the internet lives forever, one is strongly recommended to follow the “usual suspects” commenting on the trial.

I can be reached at jasonmiciak@gmail.com and on X @JasonMiciak.

Editor’s note: This is an opinion column that solely reflects the opinions of the author.

Jason Miciak

Jason Miciak is an associate editor and opinion writer for Occupy Democrats. He's a Canadian-American who grew up in the Pacific Northwest. He is a trained attorney, but for the last five years, he's devoted his time to writing political news and analysis. He enjoys life on the Gulf Coast as a single dad to a 15-year-old daughter. Hobbies include flower pots, cooking, and doing what his daughter tells him they're doing. Sign up to get all of my posts by email right here: