Benzinga - by Shanthi Rexaline, Benzinga Editor.
Donald Trump became the first former president in history to be tried for criminal charges, and his niece, Mary Trump, a clinical psychologist, on Monday took stock of the happenings on the first day of the hush-money trial.
Trial Starts Off With Setbacks: Acting Justice of the New York Supreme Court Juan Merchan turned down Donald Trump’s request to recuse himself, with the judge stating that the defense team’s request was based on “series of inferences, innuendos, and unsupported speculation,” Mary Trump said.
Unlike Judge Aileen Cannon of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, who is overseeing Donald Trump’s federal criminal case related to the mishandling of classified documents, Judge Merchan has shown that he is committed to the rule of the law, she said. Judge Cannon was nominated and confirmed by the former president and she has drawn flak for intentionally delaying the case, reports say.
The former president’s niece also noted that his narrative that President Joe Biden is sleepy is undermined, because he himself was caught napping at one point in Monday’s trial.
To make matters worse, Judge Merchan warned that Donald Trump would be sent to jail if he disrupted court proceedings, Mary Trump said. “This is a great sign that Merchan will treat Donald like any other criminal defendant, and not give him any special treatment,” she added.
Prosecutors accused the former president of violating the gag order and asked the judge to impose penalties and a monetary fine for every Truth Social post that breached the gag order, the psychologist said. They also argued that if he continues to violate the gag order, he should be sent to jail, she said, adding that Merchan has granted the request and a hearing on it would take place on April 23.
Mary Trump noted that the first day of the trial ended without selecting a single juror.
Other Pushbacks: Donald Trump’s media company stock Trump Media & Technology Group Corp.’s (NASDAQ:DJT) stock plummeted on Monday as he was battling in the courtroom, Mary Trump said. The stock was down a steep 18.35% at $26.61 at the close, according to Benzinga Pro data. It closed the day just off the lows of the session. Broader market negativity and a filing for a secondary sale of shares dragged the stock sharply lower.
Since it began trading as a public company following its merger with SPAC Digital World Acquisition Corp. on March 26, it has lost about 54%,
Mary Trump also noted that Biden has increased his lead from a mere one point in March to four points in April, according to a new Reuters/IPSOS poll. “This noticeable shift in public opinion is significant, particularly considering that Donald was ahead of Biden by five points in a poll conducted in January,” Mary Trump said.
The presidential candidate’s courtroom conduct and the outcome of the trial could all sway public opinion, she said.
“Donald is finally confronting his criminal charges,” she said, adding that his “mandatory presence each day will give the jury a front-row seat of his bad behavior.”
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