Former President Donald Trump’s old antics — his whining, pouting and muttering — are making an appearance in Manhattan this week.
In court Tuesday, Trump was reprimanded by Judge Juan Merchan while his lawyer was questioning a potential juror during the selection process. “Trump was audibly saying something and gesturing in front of the jury,” the BBC reported.
“I won’t tolerate that,” Merchan said in court. “I will not have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom. I want to make that crystal clear.”
Merchan advised Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, to make sure his client understood.
After Blanche gave the defendant his required “talking-to,” The New York Times reported that “Trump looks furious.”
Such behavior, going forward, could be incredibly costly for Trump now that he’s facing trial over allegations he falsified business records to cover up an alleged affair with an adult film star.
“Unlike in the court of public opinion, where Trump’s bluster and bullying may help win supporters and cause some to cower, when court is in session, the rules of evidence and procedure kick in,” Ryan Brescia, an associate dean at Albany Law School, wrote this week in The Daily Beast. “The same tactics that might give Trump some public relations wins do not really work in court. In fact, they often backfire.”