Trump Trial Watch

With another off day in his criminal trial, former President Donald Trump took off to Cincinnati, Ohio on Wednesday to appear at a private fundraiser, where tickets cost $50,000 each.

The luncheon was held with Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, a leading contender for Trump’s VP pick who also accompanied the presumptive Republican nominee at the trial in Manhattan on Monday.

The courtroom is quickly beginning to look like an audition room for the second half of the GOP ticket. North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy—two other potential running mates for Trump—were at the trial on Tuesday.

Court will resume tomorrow as Trump attorney Todd Blanche continues his cross-examination of former Trump fixer Michael Cohen. If Blanche can wrap up by the end of the day, which he’s signaled he plans to, the prosecution will rest its case before the weekend. Cohen is the last witness for the DA’s office, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass confirmed yesterday.

Court snapshot: Expect a tough line-of-questioning tomorrow. Even though Blanche has been the least confrontational of Trump’s lawyers thus far, he’s indicated that he’s not afraid of sparring with Cohen, an unpredictable witness who has a long history of exploding on his critics and enemies.

Katherine Fung is a Newsweek reporter based in New York City who focuses on U.S. and world politics. Get in touch with Katherine via email here.

THE HUSH MONEY CASE

A recap of the trial

Cohen's 'Incendiary' Cross-Examination Not Helping Trump: Professor

The "incendiary" cross-examination of Michael Cohen is unlikely to overcome the huge weight of evidence in Donald Trump's hush-money trial, a law professor has said. Anthony Alfieri, a professor at University of Miami School of Law in Coral Gables, Florida, told Newsweek that, no matter what the defense lawyers throw at Cohen, it won't overcome what has already been established by other witnesses and through banking and other documents. Find out more.

GET CAUGHT UP

SPOTLIGHT

Jury Must Believe Michael Cohen's 'Three Simple Words' to Convict—Attorney

To convict Donald Trump in his ongoing Stormy Daniels hush money trial, the jury must believe "three simple words" given in testimony on Tuesday by Michael Cohen, the Republican firebrand's former fixer, said a former federal prosecutor. Find out more.

LEGAL BRIEFS

News from Trump's court cases

Former Judge Breaks Down Juan Merchan's Latest Trump Trial Actions

The judge overseeing Donald Trump's hush money trial has been praised for his actions while reining in the potentially explosive cross-examination of Michael Cohen. Jill Konviser, a former New York State Supreme Court Justice, told CNN that Judge Juan Merchan made the right move by stepping in and preventing Trump's legal team from asking "irrelevant" questions. Find out more.
Donald Trump's political supporters allegedly helped him violate his court-ordered gag order, according to a former federal prosecutor. Eric Lisann said that senior Republican politicians could be subpoenaed for acting as Trump's mouthpieces during his hush-money trial in New York. Find out more.
The disqualification effort against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in the sweeping RICO case against former President Donald Trump and his allies is gaining steam. Here's the latest.
New York Magazine journalist Andrew Rice has said that Donald Trump was "making notations" and "editing" quotes that his allies would make to the press even as his former fixer Michael Cohen took the stand at the Manhattan Criminal Court in the hush money trial. Here's what else he said.
Barrett Blade, Stormy Daniels' husband, said that he and his wife would probably leave the country if Donald Trump were found not guilty in his hush-money trial in New York City. Find out why.

ON THE DOCKET

What’s up next

What Donald Trump Jury Instructions Might Look Like

A judge's instructions to the jury will decide Donald Trump's hush-money case, a leading commentator has said. Megyn Kelly, the conservative host of The Megyn Kelly Show on SiriusXM radio, said that the instructions on how to interpret the hush-money payments will convict Trump.

What We Know

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