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Trump’s Behavior in Court on Thursday Was Exactly What You’d Expect From a Defendant in Real Trouble

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Donald Trump spends so much time being “different” than the normal person, whether it is being the classic narcissist, being the tough guy, being the golfing president, or being the guy who attacks the Capitol after losing, we rarely see him as the “normal guy.”

Today, in court, we got to see Trump as the “normal guy” – or, at least, the normal criminal defendant. Trump acted most upset or most “animated” when he heard the most damning evidence against him. This is normal.

Wolf Blitzer had Trump whisperer Maggie Haberman on The Situation Room on CNN and asked Haberman about Trump’s in-court behavior:

What did you observe about Trump’s demeanor today? Where is his head at right now?”

Haberman answered in response to Trump’s reaction to The National Enquirer owner David Pecker’s work with former Trump fixer Michael Cohen.

That is a one-two punch that few could take if in Trump’s position.

“So, Wolf, he shook his head several times as David Pecker was testifying. It’s actually among the most animated we have seen him… But this was uncomfortable testimony from David Pecker, walking the jury through a narrative about engaging with Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen about killing stories about Trump’s involvement with two women.

And in particular, Pecker told stories about engaging with Trump while Trump was president and having a conversation that related to one of these women.”

Blitzer then asked about Pecker’s visit to the White House in which Pecker and Trump discussed his off and on again affair with Karen McDougal (Which seems to have ended prior to Trump becoming president). Haberman had an answer ready, and she noted that his testimony depended on whether the jury didn’t necessarily have to take Pecker at his word because the conversation is documented with other evidence:

“There’s documentation that backs up what– the story that Pecker was telling.

There were a lot of references to text messages, to emails…

And those are supposed to speak to Pecker’s credibility. The fact that Pecker is saying that he had this conversation with Trump where Trump was knowledgeable enough about Karen McDougal to ask, ‘How is she doing?’

I think could end up being significant.”

Yes, because it makes Pecker’s testimony regarding other “catch and kill” stories that much more believable, so the testimony goes beyond just Karen McDougal and reinforces other delicate subjects.

All of this evidence goes to why Trump would pay to bury a story – it was a normal pattern. As much as Trump might act like the guy next door in hearing uncomfortable evidence, the guy next door doesn’t worry about the National Enquirer publishing stories about his antics, never mind paying to keep the stories buried.

He and Trump would be nervous, though.

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Jason Miciak is Executive Editor at Political Flare and Editor at Large for Occupy Democrats and can be reached at [email protected]

Jason Miciak
meet the author

Jason Miciak is a political writer, features writer, author, and attorney. He is originally from Canada but grew up in the Pacific Northwest. He now enjoys life as a single dad raising a ridiculously-loved young girl on the beaches of the Gulf Coast. He is very much the dreamy mystic, a day without learning is a day not lived. He is passionate about his flower pots and studies philosophical science, religion, and non-mathematical principles of theoretical physics. Dogs, pizza, and love are proof that God exists. "Above all else, love one another."

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