In the wake of his historic trial, which begins on Monday, fans of the former president are few in number in the never-sleep metropolis where Donald Trump established his reputation and wealth.
The 30-year-old babysitter Valmir Do Carmo said as he walked his dogs on Court Street in the Brooklyn borough of the city, “He has to face justice, right?”
“He hasn’t a lot of supporters in New York City though, but I’m confident, New York City… is very upfront, and I’m pretty sure justice is going to be made.”
Trump has often said that because of the considerable media attention his lawsuits have received and the Democratic slant in both local and national elections, he would not be able to get a fair trial in New York.
Comic This Thursday, late-night TV host Stephen Colbert made light of Trump’s request for “an impartial jury who knew nothing about the events in America over the last nine years.”
“He brought it upon himself, so I don’t know whether he’ll get a fair trial. Caretaker Alberto Vasquez, 45, stated, “He likes to put everything he does on the news or TV.”
“He enjoys being the center of attention, whether that’s a good or terrible thing. Therefore, he hurt himself. Regardless of the result, he put himself through it.”
Trump’s previous court hearings in New York have provoked intense demonstrations.
Pro-Trump protestors have been kept apart by a huge number of armed police as they engaged in combat with demonstrators holding signs that read, “lock him up!”
Assuring that the trial proceeds without incident, the New York Police Department has committed to a significant deployment, which Chief of Intelligence John Hart has described as a “major challenge.”
When asked about the possibility that supporters of the former president may try to intimidate people who disagree with him, dog trainer Lee Cahill-Trebing, 36, said, “New Yorkers are tough and we are not scared.”
“We won’t let intimidation stop us from removing him from office or from enforcing the law. So go ahead and bring it.”
On February 15, 2024, in New York, former US President Donald Trump departs Manhattan Criminal Court.
Donald Trump’s third attempt to postpone his hush money trial until Monday is denied by a New York appeals court.
Trump could spend a maximum of four years in prison if found guilty on all 34 charges of falsifying company documents.
In order to prevent his 2016 victory from being derailed, he is charged with organizing a plot to conceal a purported sexual encounter with porn actress Stormy Daniels.
A jury of twelve New Yorkers will be chosen by the case’s judge, Juan Merchan, and both the prosecution and defense will have the opportunity to object to the jurors’ objectivity.
The former president, who rose to fame in the city as a real estate developer and reality TV star, may go to prison, but not all New Yorkers are thrilled about the idea.
Porter Bell, an 83-year-old retiree, said, “I don’t really think he should go to prison.” “I think right now this country is just too divided.”
Trump is no stranger to the city’s courts, having been there for his civil fraud trial, when he was fined $355 million, a sum he is now appealing, and for his sex assault defamation lawsuit, where a jury awarded him $83 million in damages.
On February 15, 2024, in New York, former US President Donald Trump departs Manhattan Criminal Court.
‘Stormy affair’ involving Trump: porn actress, president, and USD 130,000 in hush money