Donald Trump broke down before walking into court on Thursday after his fans failed to show up to protest at his trial.
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Trump said:
Every review I’ve read, every legal scholar, says there was no case, no crime, and it’s a disgrace that this was allowed to happen. As you know, the judge is a highly conflicted person, and I have never seen anyone so conflicted. He should not be a judge. No connection with this case is allowed. He should be far away from the case.
Let’s go outside and have a look. It looks like we’re at Fort Knox. So many police. They don’t allow people to come. You’re not allowed to – we’re not allowed to have anything here. They have more police officers and more assistant prosecutors and I’ve never seen anything like it.
CNN fact-checked similar claims Trump made earlier in the trial and found:
Only a handful of Trump supporters showed up to demonstrate near the building. Despite various security measures in place in the area, including some street closures enforced by police and barricades, it is not true that “you can’t get close to the courthouse within the neighborhood.” In fact, the trial’s designated protest area is in a park directly across from the courthouse, and additionally, people can drive directly to the front of the courthouse and walk into the building, which remains open to the public. If people show up early enough in the morning, they can even enter the trial courtroom itself or an overflow room that displays near-instant footage of the proceedings.
Republican members of Congress took turns appearing in court in the morning to make Trump look like he had support. Eric Trump is the only family member who appears regularly. Members of Congress stayed until the court adjourned on the first morning, when they left to speak to the media outside.
Trump can’t cope with the reality that he’s not as popular as he thought and that his supporters don’t seem to care whether he’s convicted of a felony or three dozen.
Trump campaign lied about crowds at New Jersey rally. Trump is no longer the same person, and his fans are reminding him that this is no longer 2016.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a member of the White House press corps and a congressional reporter for PoliticusUSA. Jason holds a BA in Political Science. His graduate work focuses on public policy, particularly social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of Society of Professional Journalists and American Political Science Association
