Trump, for the defense

Donald Trump is on trial for paying porn star Stormy Daniels hush money to keep their booty call under wraps before the 2016 presidential election. So, understandably, Trump thinks he knows more about the facts of this case than anyone else. 

The issue is that he behaves in Court as if he knows more about criminal procedure than any of his high-priced defense lawyers. And this picture speaks volumes about his presumed knowledge:

Frankly, if you didn’t know any better, you might mistake Trump for the defense lawyer, not the client. But that famous legal proverb obtains:

He who represents himself has a fool for a client.

Trump, the self-proclaimed ‘stable genius’

Of course, this reflects the congenital insecurity that compels Trump to overcompensate, continually boasting that he knows more than anyone about anything. 

For example:

• He boasted about knowing more about warfare than any general. That boast misled him into negotiating denuclearization with his “lover,” Kim Jong Un, which ended with North Korea boosting its nukes. 
• He boasted about knowing more about infectious diseases than any doctor. That boast misled him into prescribing bleach for Americans to treat Covid 19, which caused a spike in poisonings. 

In short, this image speaks volumes about the way Trump compels everyone in his orbit to humble and embarrass themselves just to serve his unhinged ego. The only wonder this picture evokes is that so many people keep volunteering to do so. 

I would only add that the media are helping Trump mastermind his defense by continually headlining this as  a “hush money trial.” After all, DA Alvin Bragg has repeatedly pleaded that this is a garden-variety case about falsifying business records in a failed bid to influence the 2016 election. 

So it’s more about election interference than hush money. 

Stormy testimony

Undoubtedly, Daniels, as the witness for the prosecution, will be the highlight of this trial. But don’t expect any salacious details.

Trump has maintained his Clintonian lie about never having sex with that porn star, Stormy Daniels. But Clinton never had to sit in court and watch Monica Lewinsky call him a liar under oath.

That’s why Trump will be squirming in his seat. And I’d be surprised if his snowflake ego allows him to just sit there and take it.