Trump

Independent -  The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York appeared unconvinced with his attorney’s defence against allegations that the former president repeatedly and willfully violated a gag order that prevents him from attacking witnesses. Manhattan prosecutors have accused Mr Trump of at least 10 different posts on his Truth Social platform and campaign website targeting Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels – likely witnesses in the so-called hush money trial underway in a Manhattan courtroom.

Defence attorney Todd Blanche has argued that Mr Trump’s posts were responding to “political” attacks but failed to offer up any examples of what, exactly, Mr Trump was responding to.

“You presented nothing,” New York Justice Juan Merchan, growing increasingly frustrated with Mr Blanche’s defence, said at the conclusion of an hour-long hearing on Tuesday. “You’re losing all credibility, I’ll tell you that right now,” he added

Jon Cooper -  Not a single member of Trump’s family — not Melania, not Ivanka, not Don Jr, not Eric, not Tiffany — has bothered to show up at his criminal trial to show their support.

AP News - Donald Trump tried to illegally influence the 2016 presidential election by preventing damaging stories about his personal life from becoming public, a prosecutor told jurors Monday at the start of the former president’s historic hush money trial. “This was a planned, long-running conspiracy to influence the 2016 election, to help Donald Trump get elected through illegal expenditures to silence people who had something bad to say about his behavior,” prosecutor Matthew Colangelo said. “It was election fraud, pure and simple.” A defense lawyer countered by assailing the case as baseless and attacking the integrity of the onetime Trump confidant who’s now the government’s star witness. “President Trump is innocent. President Trump did not commit any crimes. The Manhattan district attorney’s office should never have brought this case,” attorney Todd Blanche said.