Trump: NY prosecutors should focus on actual crimes
Former President Trump discusses his "unconstitutional" gag order, inflation and "Biden migrant crime" after the NY v. Trump trial wrapped up for the day.
Former President Trump slammed the Democratic Party as a group of "fascists" following a "very good day" in court, which included continued testimony from his former personal attorney, Michael Cohen.
"'The problem for Democrats is that the extensive polling now shows that the voters see through their scam and don't like what's going on,'" Trump said outside court Tuesday afternoon, reading an excerpt from Fox News contributor Charlie Hurt. "'Watching 100,000 enthusiastic people gather along the boardwalk in a New Jersey beach this Saturday … to support President Trump on Saturday evening, gives you some idea how terrified Democrats are of Trump.'"
Trump interjected, "I don't think they're terrified of anything. They're fascists."
Trump continued reading other news excerpts that slammed the case as "election interference," and he went on to describe Tuesday as a "very good day" in court.
TRUMP ALLIES JOIN FORCES TO HAMMER 'SHAM' TRIAL 'WEAPONIZED' AGAINST 45TH PRESIDENT: POLITICAL 'PERSECUTION'
Former President Trump speaks to the media during his criminal trial in New York City on May 7, 2024. (Reuters/David Delgado/Pool)
"We had a very good day. I think we're exposing this scam for what it is," he said.
The trial continued with Cohen's second day of testimony on Tuesday. The case focuses on Cohen paying former pornographic performer Stormy Daniels $130,000 prior to the 2016 presidential election to allegedly quiet her claims about a 2006 affair with the then-real estate tycoon. Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels.
Former President Trump's rally drew tens of thousands to Wildwood, New Jersey, on May 11, 2024. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)
Prosecutors allege that the Trump Organization reimbursed Cohen and fraudulently logged the payments as legal expenses. Prosecutors are working to prove that Trump falsified records with the intent to commit or conceal a second crime. Trump has pleaded not guilty in the case and has maintained his innocence.
Cohen faced cross-examination on Tuesday and was peppered with questions from Trump's legal team about Cohen's numerous TikTok videos, including ones in which he called Trump a "crying little b----" and "dictator douche bag." Cohen told the court that he struggles to sleep at night, and that posting TikTok videos about Trump served as "an out."
TRUMP TRIAL VEEPSTAKES? TRUMP ALLIES SHOW UP IN FORCE AHEAD OF MICHAEL COHEN'S 2ND DAY OF TESTIMONY
This courtroom sketch shows Stormy Daniels as she testifies during former President Trump's criminal trial in New York City on May 9, 2024. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
Trump defense attorney Todd Blanche asked Cohen if he also regularly commented on a podcast about wanting to see Trump convicted in this case. Cohen responded that he probably said that because he wants to see Trump held accountable.
Cohen's testimony follows Monday's remarks in which he told the court that he used his own money to pay Daniels in 2016 and that he secretly recorded Trump on his iPhone that same year.
Michael Cohen (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)
Tuesday was another action-packed day for the case, including the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division issuing an order rejecting the Trump team's attempt to end a gag order that the 45th president has repeatedly slammed as "unconstitutional."
TRUMP BLASTS 'HIGHLY CONFLICTED' JUDGE AFTER MICHAEL COHEN'S 1ST DAY OF TESTIMONY WRAPS
"We find that Justice Merchan properly weighed petitioner’s First Amendment Rights against the court’s historical commitment to ensuring the fair administration of justice in criminal cases, and the right of persons related or tangentially related to the criminal proceedings from being free from threats, intimidation, harassment, and harm," the First Department of the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division wrote in its order Tuesday.
MICHAEL COHEN TESTIFIES HE SECRETLY RECORDED TRUMP IN LEAD-UP TO 2016 ELECTION
Michael Cohen is shown on the witness stand in this courtroom sketch from former President Trump's criminal trial in New York City on May 14, 2024. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
Presiding Judge Juan Merchan imposed the gag order on Trump before his criminal trial in New York began, ordering the presumptive Republican presidential nominee to not make or direct others to make public statements about witnesses, counsel in the case or about court staff, the DA staff or family members of staff.
Merchan later ruled, amid the trial, that Trump violated the order on 10 occasions, resulting in a combined $10,000 fine. The violations stemmed from messages posted by Trump on Truth Social and the campaign's website.
Trump's legal team now has the opportunity to appeal the gag order to the New York Court of Appeals.
"The gag order imposed by conflicted Judge Juan Merchan in the lawless Manhattan DA case is unconstitutional and un-American," Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital in a statement earlier Tuesday. "The threat to throw the 45th President of the United States and the leading candidate in the 2024 presidential election in jail for exercising his First Amendment rights is a Third World authoritarian tactic typical of Crooked Joe Biden and his comrades."
A variety of Trump’s political allies showed up at court on Tuesday. (Getty Images)
Tuesday also saw a strong showing of Trump allies joining the former president in court, including former 2024 presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy as well as Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, Florida Rep. Cory Mills and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.
The Trump allies also held a press conference Tuesday, railing against the trial as a "sham."
This courtroom sketch shows former President Trump watching Michael Cohen's testimony during Trump's criminal trial in New York City on May 14, 2024. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
"This is a sham. This is not the United States of America. This is some third-rate banana republic," Ramaswamy said.
"There's nothing that has been wrong here. Nothing that has been done poorly by President Trump," Donalds said. "The only thing that's being done wrong is by this judge. His daughter is making money, raising money for Democrats, and all of the fundraising emails and all the fundraising things are about this trial that his daughter is using. He won't recuse himself. This is a travesty of justice. This is a misuse of the justice system."
Trump's legal team had previously demanded Merchan recuse himself from the case, citing his daughter's work as a Democrat consultant.
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The trial resumes on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. and is to wrap up slightly early at 4 p.m. due to a juror's previous commitment. Cohen is expected to return to the stand to continue cross-examination.
The prosecution team said Tuesday that Cohen is their last witness.
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