One prosecutor, Christopher Conroy, stated, “We think that it is important for the court to remind Mr. Trump that he is a criminal defendant and that he is under the court’s supervision.”
With Trump in New York for the foreseeable future, aides are arranging rallies and other political activities on weekends and Wednesdays, when court is not in session. Merchan indicated Monday that Wednesdays could be added if the trial runs late.
Aides are also planning New York events after court. Despite New York's Democratic majority, Trump has often wanted to campaign there. As in his previous cases, he will speak from the courthouse and make news conferences to summarize each day's proceedings.
Since winning the GOP nomination last month, Trump has kept a sparse schedule of public engagements, with most of his rallies on weekends. He has grumbled about being taken off the campaign trail. He has focused on fundraising to bridge the deficit with Democratic challenger President Joe Biden.
His surrogate use is also projected to increase. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, software entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and Florida Rep. Byron Donalds—all potential vice presidential or cabinet picks—blasted the case on cable networks on Monday.
Trump's indictments helped him raise tens of millions of dollars from irate fans and kept his GOP competitors out of the media spotlight during the primaries. A criminal trial and possible conviction may not resonate with the general election audience, which includes moderate and independent voters who could determine the race.
Center for Public Affairs Research poll, half of Americans would consider Trump unfit for president if convicted. He may get a fair shake from case jurors, but many doubt it. Only 2 in 10 U.S. adults are convinced jurors will evaluate the former president impartially, according to the study. Four in 10 lack confidence.
Salacious details include a porn actress, tabloids, and hush money. The lawsuit is seen as less of a legal risk to Trump than his other cases, which accuse him of conspiring to overthrow the 2020 election and of Espionage Act charges for hoarding confidential data that may result in substantial jail time.
The hush money case may be the only one tried before November. In order to avoid judicial meddling, Biden's campaign avoided Monday's proceedings. Campaign officials said Monday they will instead focus on maintaining a political split-screen between the two men, with the president governing and Trump focusing on himself.
As Iran attacked Israel this weekend, Biden spoke via phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordan's King Abdullah II to prevent a larger Middle East conflict. He will campaign in battleground Pennsylvania for a week.
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