Donald Trump's Appearance Before Trial Day 4 Doesn't Help Reports Of Him Dozing Off Again
From the looks of it, Donald Trump is either getting very bored during his hush money trial, or criminal court is just really wearing him out. Monday, April 15, 2024, was the first day of the former U.S. president's criminal trial for allegedly paying Stormy Daniels hush money in 2016 to keep quiet about their prior affair. Over the course of the first week of his trial, reports claimed that Trump may have been nodding off in the New York courtroom in the middle of proceedings. Seeing how he looked on the morning of Friday, April 19, 2024, only seems to make these reports more plausible.
Regardless of what you think of Trump, most of us can agree that he usually has plenty of energy and a surplus of confidence. As he entered the courtroom for the fourth day of his trial, however, something seemed a bit off. In a video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, Trump can be seen approaching the crowd and making a statement. However, his behavior gave some folks pause, as Trump's attitude and demeanor seemed subdued and even somewhat defeated, which is a stark contrast to his usual bravado. It certainly made accusations that the politician and former host of "The Apprentice" had been napping in the courtroom seem a lot more plausible.
Trump's entrance to the court showed a weary defendant
In the video, Donald Trump slowly walks up to the crowd and even seems to let out a sigh when an onlooker shouts out a question. He begins his address to the crowd, saying, "So, thank you very much. As you know, I've been saying for a while — this is a rigged trial. It's coming from the White House." He continues on, calling the trial "unfair" and bemoaning his gag order, saying, "I should be allowed to speak." Trump returns to this refrain multiple times, speaking in circles, which always bring him back to his plea to be released from the gag order.
🚨🚨Breaking Donald Trump this morning said this is a rigged Trial coming from the White House pic.twitter.com/6cF7fxOMYY
— MAGA Elvis 🇺🇸 (@BenStanton77) April 19, 2024
Despite the palpable lack of pep in his step, Trump did show some glimmers of his normal self. His speech involved some quintessential markings of the former president's style; it was peppered with name-calling, and he insisted that "30 legal experts" agreed that he was an innocent man. Still, when he finished speaking, he turned around and hung his head as he quietly walked away and ignored the questions being shouted at him from behind. What followed was another day in court, during which jury selection was completed and Trump allegedly fell asleep... again.
Donald Trump's courtroom behavior earned him a new nickname
In the midst of the New York Times' live updates of the trial's fourth day in session, reporter Maggie Haberman claimed that there were "several times" over the course of the day when Donald Trump appeared to be sleeping, adding that the presidential hopeful had his eyes "closed for extended periods." This comes after the same claims were made about his in-court behavior on Monday, April 15, 2024.
Between Trump's slumped shoulders and his exhausted appearance throughout the early days of the trial, he's certainly giving off a particular impression in the courtroom, and we're not really sure what that impression is. There is a nonchalant attitude implied by Trump's alleged seemingly accidental midday power naps, but it could also be stress, a feeling of defeat, or simply, well, sleepiness. When paired with his demeanor when entering the courtroom, though, it seems like the trial may be getting to him. To make matters worse, the alleged napping prompted the nickname "Drowsy Don" to take off on X, a play on Trump's own nickname for President Joe Biden, "Sleepy Joe." Whether the next week of days in the courtroom holds another bizarre hair day or more behavior befitting his new moniker, one thing is for sure: Trump is nothing if not unpredictable.