As he walks into the courtroom at 9:30 a.m. each day of his trial, Donald J. Trump scans the benches for familiar faces.
He has glared at George Conway, an antagonist who is reporting on the former president’s criminal case for The Atlantic magazine.
People close to Mr. Trump have worried about whether long days in the courtroom have had an effect on his mental state. He has been forced to sit silently for hours as witnesses like Stormy Daniels, the porn star whose story of a liaison set the case in motion, have insulted him in deeply personal ways. Before the trial, Mr. Trump’s advisers discussed the need to have people who Mr. Trump finds supportive nearby when he looks back from the defense table — both for his sake and so that jurors can see he has people standing with him.
Do you remember his reaction to Access Hollywood? He was in Trump Tower with Jeff Sessions, Rudy Giuliani, Melania and other support staff. He was getting conflicting advice. Melania said that she would not do a Bill-and-Hillary type stand-by-your-man interview. Others there thought the election was lost and he should drop out. Trump asked Sessions, “How bad is it?” “Pretty bad. But I think we can weather it.” Giuliani had gone on TV and said, “That’s what he’s talking about,” rape. Suddenly, Trump heard cheers outside. He stepped to the window, saw that they were his low-lifes, and immediately went down to wave a fist of defiance for them. He would stay in the race and fight on.
He needs the adulation. It is sustaining oxygen.
"He has glared at George Conway..": Do you remember what he did at one, maybe more, I forget, debate with Hillary Clinton? Brought Bill Clinton's accusers as his guests. An equal and opposite reaction: seeing George demoralizes him. Maybe E. Jean Carroll should show up?