As former President Trump exited the courtroom on Monday, he unleashed a scathing critique of the New York judge presiding over his hush money trial. Trump’s ire was fueled by the hours-long testimony of his former attorney, Michael Cohen, who has become a star witness for the prosecution. Trump’s diatribe was sparked by a question about the presence of several elected officials, including Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), who had come to show their support.
Trump seized the opportunity to read from a prepared document, citing commentary from Republican lawmakers, legal pundits, and cable news personalities who have expressed skepticism about the case or defended him.
He quoted from the likes of Fox News’ Andy McCarthy and Mark Levin, as well as Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen.
Trump’s rant lasted for roughly five minutes, during which he decried the judge as “corrupt” and “highly conflicted.” He claimed that the judge was preventing him from campaigning and lamented that it was a “sad day for the country” and “sad for New York.”
Trump Blasts Judge as ‘Corrupt’ and ‘Conflicted’ After Cohen Testifies
In a notable moment, Trump was seen making edits to a document during the closing minutes of Cohen’s testimony, crossing out lines and adding new text. This same document was later seen on top of the stack of papers from which Trump was reading in the hallway.
The tense exchange marked a dramatic turning point in the trial, which charges Trump with falsifying 34 business records related to a $130,000 hush money payment made to adult film actor Stormy Daniels.
The payment was allegedly made to silence her about an affair with Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign. Cohen and Trump have since become bitter enemies, but Cohen’s testimony was surprisingly subdued, likely due to the gag order imposed by the judge.
