The trial against former President Donald Trump is being fought on Monday in the Manhattan Criminal Courtroom. The court case started with District Court Judge Juan Merchan denying one of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s key pieces of evidence.
The key pieces of evidence are the infamous Hollywood Access video and the defamation case filed by E. Jean Carroll. In the Hollywood Access tape, Trump makes remarks about women that were characterized by the prosecution as “locker room talk.” Bragg intended to use the video to showcase Trump’s derogatory attitude towards women and lay a foundation for the business fraud and hush money paid to an adult film star.
One of the lead prosecutors, Joshua Steinglass, argued that the video contains “extremely salacious evidence that’s very, very, very prejudicial.” However, Judge Merchan denied the prosecution’s request to play the tape in court. He instead allowed the prosecutor to read out the words mentioned by Trump in the video. The unimaginable turn of events set off a series of debates as to why the video was not admissible in court.
President Trump, who was not present in court, took to his newly launched social media platform Truth Social and X to discredit the prosecution’s move. He released a video addressing his supporters, stating that the prosecution wants to silence him and his supporters on Election Day. The former president also tweeted that he has the support of 200 million Americans and that when he walks into the courtroom, he will be fighting for freedom.
“When I walk into that courtroom, I know I will have the love of 200 million Americans behind me, and I will be FIGHTING for the FREEDOM of 325 MILLION AMERICANS!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
President Trump’s lawyers have been embattled in a strong defense to prove his innocence in the charges put against him. However, they have also been utilizing the judge’s Democratic background, claiming him to be a part of the political machine that is trying to silence Trump’s supporters.
The strategy proved to be successful in the recent fundraising event held at Mar-a-Lago, which brought in a record-breaking $50 million. This figure was twice the amount raised by the star-studded Biden fundraiser featuring former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.
In his video, Trump also mentioned that they are not just coming after him but also the American citizens. He stated that the only way to save the country from this political persecution is to support him in the fight for freedom. The former president has been vocal about his belief that he is being prosecuted because he is a threat to the Democratic Party.
“They will try to take away my freedom because I will never let them take away your freedoms,” Trump tells a thunderous crowd. “They will try to silence me because I will never let them silence you. They want you silent, and I’m the only one who can save this nation because you know they’re not coming after me, they’re coming after you.”
Trump’s lawyers have been using every opportunity to discredit the prosecution and portray President Trump as a hero. The denial of key pieces of evidence by Judge Merchan and the successful fundraising event at Mar-a-Lago has bolstered Trump’s position in the court and among his supporters.
