Donald Trump's Unhinged Rant as Hush Money Trial Begins

Written by Bess Levin

In a historical first, Donald Trump, former US president, was tried in a Manhattan courthouse on Monday, for allegedly falsifying business records pertaining to his 2016 hush money payments. With 34 counts against him, each carrying a maximum penalty of four years in prison, Trump risks serious repercussions. Since his alleged crime falls under state jurisdiction, even a win in the 2024 elections, leading potentially to him becoming a convicted felon, would not allow for self-pardoning. As such, his freedom hangs in precarious balance.

Given the severity of the charges, it was anticipated that Trump would spend the preceding days to the trial practicing mindfulness, spending time with family, or taking part in calming activities. His recent behaviour, however, has not shown any indication of this. In fact, he went on a series of rants on Truth Social, renaming the case as the “Biden Manhattan Witch Hunt Case”, targeting the judge, a key prosecution witness, and even seeming to breach his gag order.

On the Saturday before the trial, he posted on his social media network, decrying the lack of fairness of the upcoming trial, accusing Judge Juan Merchan of corruption and conflict of interest, and sharing several other accusations, theories, and questions. To add to this, he also held a bizarre show of naming the "worst, most evil and most corrupt judge".

Attack on the presiding judge continued:

Highlighting his belief of the unfairness of the proceedings, he criticized Judge Merchan for allegedly giving him insufficient time to go through enormous amounts of hidden or disguised documents. His posts continued to express his irritation at the timing of the trial, asserting that it was intentionally planned during his presidential campaign to offer an advantage to his political opponent, Joe Biden.

On Sunday, he continued on this trajectory:

Signifying his determination to continue the fight, he pointed to his past success as the President of the United States, showing dismay at his present predicament, dealing with a supposedly biased judge and corrupt prosecutor. Trump focused on his belief of a vast conspiracy against him by Joe Biden and his associates. Despite the adversity, he expressed optimism in his fight, considering it a fight for the whole country. Lastly, he expressed his belief in the country rising to greatness once more.