Trump trial live updates: Michael Cohen set to testify in hush money case

The former president’s middle son claimed during an interview with Mark Levin on Fox that his family are entirely innocent of all wrongdoing and the victims are persecution by the justice system, also claiming that the rest of the world is “laughing” at American over their plight.

It is, but not for the reason he thinks.

Here’s Ellie Abraham for Indy100 on Eric’s preposterous claims.

Here’s the latest from Alex Woodward, outside the court earlier than ever this morning:

“It’s a crisp and cool morning in downtown Manhattan from the growing line of reporters and New Yorkers who want a shot of getting inside criminal court to see Donald Trump on trial.

“One man at the front of the line has been switching shifts in a fold-out chair since 2pm on Sunday. Reporters have been lining up since 4am, with professional line holders spending the night in spots at the front of the press line.

“This could very well be the final week of trial testimony, with a man who has been looming throughout the trial but yet to make an appearance taking the stand as the prosecution’s key witness: Michael Cohen.

“Cohen reunited with his former boss in a courtroom during his civil fraud trial last fall, where Trump glared from the defense table and fumed from the hallway and on social media as his one-time ‘fixer’ compared him to a ‘mob boss’.

“At Trump’s criminal trial, he is expected to connect the dots in the prosecution’s narrative: it was Cohen who negotiated a contract for Stormy Daniels’ silence, it was Cohen who sent her $130,000, and it was Cohen who sent invoices to Trump, who approved and signed the checks that paid him back.

“It was Cohen’s bombshell testimony to Congress in 2019 that outlined Trump’s alleged fraud, inspiring several criminal and civil investigations, including Cohen’s: he pleaded guilty to federal campaign finance violations and tax charges that included the ‘catch and kill’ scheme at the center of the Manhattan case.

“In the years following their fallout, Cohen went to jail, Trump ran for re-election, lost, and was criminally indicted four times in four separate jurisdictions, with a mountain of litigation threatening his business and 2024 campaign.

“Prosecutors are expected to call one more witness before closing their case within one week.

“But Trump’s attorneys will unleash a furious cross-examination when they take on Cohen, a frequent subject of Trump’s witness-menacing gag order violations.

“Last week, after threatening Trump with jail for any future gag order violations. Judge Juan Merchan also told prosecutors to keep a lid on Cohen, who uses his social media platforms and podcasts to attack his old boss, desperate to bury the credibility of an old ally who could now get him convicted.”

Here’s Alex’s report on Cohen’s testimony at Trump’s New York fraud trial last October.

Speaking of potential Trump VP picks, JD Vance and Kari Lake were among those making a spectacle of themselves on the Sunday shows yesterday, although Lindsey Graham probably just about walked away with it.

Trump struck deep into blue territory when he rallied in New Jersey alongside the latest Republican to be featured in his Survivor-esque search for a running mate: Doug Burgum.

The former president and the governor of North Dakota spoke to thousands of fans in a state that will almost inevitably be won by Biden in the fall.

New Jersey has not been won by a Republican at the presidential level since 1988.

Auditioning at the Trump rally, Burgum lavished compliments on his former primary rival and urged undecided voters to back the presumptive Republican nominee.

“You can help them make that choice, for your undecided friends, it’s very simple: Donald Trump means strength, Joe Biden means weakness. Donald Trump means law and order, Joe Biden is lawfare. Donald Trump creates jobs, Joe Biden’s policies kill jobs,” said Governor Burgum, who had flown to the event with Trump.

“If you’ve got friends that like inflation, regulation, crime, wars, sham political trials and open borders, if you want more of that you can get four more years of Joe Biden.”

John Bowden on the possible new front-runner to be the next Mike Pence (good luck with that Doug!).

This was really his best moment in Wildwood, however.

The Republican soon got up speed, calling the president “a total moron” and complaining that his New York court case amounted to “a Biden show trial” (rather than simply the wheels of justice in motion and the rule of law at work) and being presided over by a “conflicted” judge.

He also coined a derogatory new nickname for Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg – “Fat Alvin” – lashing out at the man who brought the 34 felony charges against him in the first place over the illegal falsification of business records to hide that pesky hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.

Worryingly, he claimed that as president he would “not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate” (hello measles) and confused his predecessor Jimmy Carter with retired tennis great Jimmy Connors.

Here’s more from Mike Bedigan.

The Jersey Shore was swamped with Trump supporters as the Republican presidential candidate hit the stage in Wildwood on Saturday for a sunset rally on the beach.

The former president arrived an hour-and-a-half late at about 6.30pm local time for the event, which was attended by 80,000 MAGA-lytes, according to his campaign officials (a number that should probably be taken with a pinch of salt).

Thousands of fans gathered on the sand and along the boardwalk throughout the day wearing Trump masks and American flag-themed outfits.

When their man started speaking, he was quick to brag that not even local hero Bruce Springsteen could draw such a crowd, a risky move indeed in New Jersey, where one simply does not cross The Boss.

Here’s Mike Bedigan’s report.

How is Donald Trump preparing for this momentous day in court?

Well, in addition to some fairly standard output puffing his weekend rally in Wildwood, New Jersey (much more on which in a moment) and promoting Fox News pundits rubbishing his trial, Trump has been calling on MAGA to help him drive out “the sick political class that hates our country” in ominous terms, celebrating Mother’s Day in characteristically odd fashion and posting a very unkind meme of Whoopi Goldberg.

He loves nothing more than a dated celelbrity feud, after all.

He also “retruthed” a fan-made video, two hours and 23 minutes in length, collecting together various clips of Joe Biden misspeaking to push the smear that he has dementia, which, frankly, you can look up for yourself if you must.

Honestly though, you could watch a truly great film at that runtime instead: Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru (1952) and High and Low (1963) are both precisely that length, to offer just two suggestions.

Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial will resume at Manhattan Criminal Court on Monday morning, with the defendant set to come face to face with his estranged former “fixer” Michael Cohen in Judge Juan Merchan’s courtroom in what promises to be another explosive week of testimony.

Cohen is the attorney who made the $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels at the heart of the case in the hope of buying her silence about a sexual encounter she claims she had with Trump in a Lake Tahoe hotel room in July 2006, which the Republican’s camp feared could sway the 2016 presidential election in Democrat Hillary Clinton’s favour if it got out.

The former president denies the affair and the 34 felony counts brought against him by Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, who accuses him of falsifying business records to hide the payout.

Daniels herself took to the witness stand last week to deliver some highly explicit and embarrassing evidence against Trump and more than held her own in response to hostile cross-examination from the defence, which worked hard to discredit her.

Here’s Ariana Baio on the prospect of Cohen speaking out against a man he once said he would take a bullet for.

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Donald Trump’s hush money trial in New York and the wider Trumpworld Extended Universe.

The former president’s ex-lawyer Michael Cohen is expected to hit the witness stand today for what promises to be another lively week of testimony with potential massive ramifications for the Republican presidential contender’s 2024 prospects.