Drama Is Reportedly Brewing Between Donald Trump And His Lawyer

When Donald Trump became the first U.S. president to be indicted on criminal charges, he needed a legal team with expertise in criminal law. Consequently, Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles have been leading the former president's defense team during his hush money trial. From the sound of it, though, there may be trouble in paradise, with Trump reportedly unhappy with Blanche's strategy in the courtroom.

Outwardly, Trump has been a big fan of Blanche from the start, but sources tell The New York Times that the tide is changing. Since the trial began, Trump has reportedly been critical of Blanche and is frustrated that Blanche seems to be following his legal strategy rather than Trump's own. Trump is also said to be unhappy with the jury and, as a result, his attorneys have their work cut out for them in terms of convincing Trump that they're doing enough. Blanche is reportedly falling short in this department — something that could have a big impact on his career considering that he quit his job at a prestigious law firm to work for Trump. 

Donald Trump tends to be plenty aggressive with his opponents, whether it's in his political career or personal feuds. Consequently, it's unsurprising that sources say Todd Blanche is not being forceful enough in his hush money trial. The former president reportedly wants Blanche to be more assertive with witnesses on the stand, Judge Juan M. Merchan, and even the jury. Yet, while this is Trump's strategy in most areas of his life, it may not have the desired effect in a courtroom. Former prosecutor and coworker of Blanche, Elie Honig, told The New York Times, "The best defense lawyers know that you pick your battles; you pick the most important battles." He explained that, despite what Trump may believe, it is "not always the optimal defense strategy at trial to attack full-bore every minute of every hour of every day" as this "will exhaust the jury and ... compromise your credibility." 

It's easy to see how that could happen, especially since Merchan already told Blanche that he was "losing all credibility with the court" when he defended Trump's freedom to badmouth those involved with the trial — never mind the gag order meant to prevent this. According to Blanche, the former president has a right "to respond to political attacks" (via Politico) and this shouldn't be considered a violation of the gag order. Considering Trump's outspokenness about his disdain for his gag order it's easy to assume that he was happy to hear Blanche defend his right to speak. Since that backfired in the eyes of the court, Trump's ideal strategy may not always be the best choice.