US Politics, April 2024: "Are You Better Off Today Than You Were <Checks Notes> Four Years Ago?"

As a criminal defendant, Trump is required to attend proceedings each day of the trial unless he applies for a waiver.

But does that include jury selection?

It's part of the trial. Why would it be excluded?

The American people must decide…

again

kind of funny dynamic going on with things like this, the way rightwing media covers the Jan 6th stuff has apparently convinced the hardcore Trumpers that all these things are now traps laid by the FBI

A totally pathetic turnout of pro-Trump demonstrators outside the NYC courtroom. pic.twitter.com/aQrrdlR8cB

— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) April 15, 2024

lmao @ Google It

Apparently Trump stock (literal, not figurative) is already down another 16% today. Buy on the dip!

As someone who was almost seated on a murder trial last week (no joke, check the jury duty thread on here), I can very much confirm that a defendant does have to be there for jury selection.

yeah but he was the preznit!

lol so he has to sit there and stew. I love it.

How is he going to stop himself from attacking individual jurors?

It would probably benefit him to cause a mistrial
More delays

its a pretty funny situation because obviously he needs to be out there campaigning but he can't because finding people impartial to him is nearly impossible

it's not stopping him from denouncing the judge.

oh shit that guy with the huge fucking crucifix around his neck is a massive Trad Cath anti-Semite who tried marching with pro-Gaza protestors (and was rightly shunned by them).

its a pretty funny situation because obviously he needs to be out there campaigning but he can't because finding people impartial to him is nearly impossible

I thought the more campaigning he does in-person, the worse he has been polling

haha I wouldn't doubt it!

He's being widely ridiculed for his speech at/about Gettysburg, which has the vibe of an eighth-grader bullshitting their way through after reading exactly none of the material.

President Trump recounts Gettysburg as only he can. pic.twitter.com/dYW9a9PY5h

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) April 15, 2024

The audience laughter reminds me of when I watched the later desultory Zucker-Abraham-Zucker movies where I laughed because the scene coded as funny or because it's a ZAZ film and I'm supposed to laugh.

They're laughing because they don't give a shit, either.

the people at these rallies truly do not give a shit about the content, only the vibes

Alfred otm

Wait, was Robert E. Lee cancelled?

yah, he was dropped from his label. and he lost his under armour endorsement deal.

JUST IN: Prosecutors plan to ask for Trump to be held in contempt for attacking witnesses.

Earlier:https://t.co/Ts09OPjp9T pic.twitter.com/Rpb2RscJMK

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) April 15, 2024

xpost traded off of many Madden teams

Gettysburg was a battle of contrasts.

Prosecutor wants Trump to delete the posts on Truth Social — Apr 10 repost on Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen, another post on Daniels and another post on Cohen — and be told that further violations will result in jail time.

— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) April 15, 2024

Don't Threaten Me with a Good Time!

Trump: "In the words of General Robert E. Lee, kiss my grits."

never fight uphill me boys

Looks like things are going to get … even more interesting, I suppose.

Hopefully we’re on our way to things getting boring.

The worst thing for this country ever was that the leading Confederates were not executed

(I know that was an extremely basic statement to make.)

Trump apparently snoozing during session this morning acc to Maggie Habes

Is he allowed to bring a MyPillow to court?

He brings in Lindell and uses him for a pillow.

rip

Haberman: Trump appeared to be asleep. His head would fall down… He didn’t pay attention to a note his lawyer passed him. His jaw kept falling on his chest and his mouth kept going slack. pic.twitter.com/Y9niQfZc3W

— Acyn (@Acyn) April 15, 2024

my fave direct quote: "Trump appears to be sleeping. His head keeps dropping down and his mouth goes slack."

Let's bore him to death

They suffer so:

Hello from court where this afternoon, we’re expecting the trial to actually start. We’re refreshed after lunch from the courthouse cafeteria, including their usual selection of plastic-wrapped cream-cheese bagels of questionable age.

The trick will be if Trump just eats one with the wrapping and falls asleep.

"it's bleu cheese, it's supposed to be blue"

Very low energy

Will he get botulism from three-day-old schmear

https://i.imgflip.com/8mv5tg.jpg

The pro-Trump crowd inside Collect Pond Park across the street from the courthouse dissipated as morning turned to afternoon. The crowd, which at its peak was around 150 people, has mostly left, with many pro-Trump protesters in MAGA and KAG (Keep America Great) hats sitting on benches in the shade. About six American flags (and one "Trump or Death" banner) are rippling in the gentle breeze.

When our union was saved by the immortal heroes at Gettysburg, Gettysburg, what an unbelievable battle that was, the battle of Gettysburg, what an unbelievable, I mean it was so much and so interesting, and so vicious and horrible and... so beautiful in so many different ways. It represented such a big portion of the success of this country. Gettysburg, wow... I go to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to look and to watch, and uh, the statement of Robert E. Lee, who's no longer in favor, did you ever notice that? No longer in favor. "Never fight up hill o' me, boys, never fight uphill." They were fighting uphill, he said, "Wow..." That was a big mistake, he lost his great general, and uh, they were fighting --- "Never fight uphill 'o me, boys!" But it was too late.

versus

Four score and seven years ago - so many years. It's incredible. Think about that, it's just an incredible number of years - our fathers, and specifically my father, who was a great man, my father, he built a great company, and he brought forth on America... (applause) It's great, America. You know. (applause) America. A new nation, a great nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated - - - can you believe what they're saying in the media? The media, these guys, the worst guys I have ever seen. Just horrible. Horrible. And this new nation, we're gonna make it great again.

Folks, you know, we're engaged in a civil war. A civil war. Believe me. Crooked Hillary (crowd booing)... oh, my goodness. Crooked Hillary, she thinks America can't endure! (more boos) But you know, without the wall, no nation can endure, (applause) and we're gonna build the wall. (crowd chanting, 'Build the wall!') It's gonna happen and today we're on a battlefield. A great battlefield. I think - and you can ask people. People know this, that this is the greatest battlefield, of this war and maybe even the greatest battlefield of all time, and we're gonna measure that because I think this is a really terrific battlefield. We're about out of time so I'm gonna take a few questions and we're gonna make America great again.

― Silence, followed by unintelligible stammering. (Doctor Casino), Wednesday, August 17, 2016 2:50 PM bookmarkflaglink

Despot, The Insult Comic Bore

Wow.

"More than half of prospective jurors in the first panel of 96 people have been excused after saying they could not be fair and impartial. At least 50 were let go for that reason"

— per @GrahamKates in the press pool

— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) April 15, 2024