Opinion | Trump wanted to dominate his trial. Instead, he is shrinking from it. - The Washington Post

S E E D E D   C O N T E N T

For months, the news coverage of Donald Trump's legal ordeal eagerly amplified the four-times-indicted former president's narcissistic spin: He would use his trials to his benefit, dominating the 2024 campaign.

Last August, the New York Times insisted that Trump's trials display "an upside-down reality where criminal charges act as political assets — at least for the purpose of winning the Republican nomination." The indictments were catnip for the media. (The Times insisted,"Mr. Trump's indictments didn't just occupy a 24-hour news cycle; the cases consumed whole weeks on both mainstream and conservative media, each following a pattern.") Meanwhile, in a self-parody of the media's frame that everything harms President Biden, Reuters announced, "Trump trials: A unique challenge for Biden's presidential campaign." Biden, not Trump, had the problem, you see.

A few months later, PBS NewsHour intoned at the civil New York trial: "The appearance demonstrated how deftly Trump has used his legal woes to benefit his campaign. ... And it gave Trump a fresh opportunity to rile up his base and gin his fundraising with claims that the cases he faces are nothing more than a coordinated attempt to damage his campaign."

Despite this Trump-friendly prediction, Trump got slammed with a huge verdict (plus two fines for contempt), had to scramble to post a bond and, if the bond is proven defective, might once more face seizure of his assets. That sure does not look impressive. The real estate mogul looks a lot like the casino operator who went bankrupt years ago.

In the run-up to the Manhattan criminal trial, the coverage again suggested Trump was going to steal the spotlight. (From the headline writers at the New York Times: "Trump and his lawyers realize his chances in the courtroom are dicey. He intends to make whatever happens a political triumph.") Cable TV panelists oohed and aahed over Trump's ability to manipulate the courts to enhance his image.

How wrong they were. When the criminal trial actually began, reality hit home. Rather than dominate the proceedings or leverage his court appearance to appear in control and demonstrate no court could corral him, Trump day by day has become smaller, more decrepit and, frankly, somewhat pathetic.

The judge is in control, not Trump. New York Justice Juan Merchan last week lectured the former president about intimidating an excused witness. Merchan barked at Trump for "audibly" commenting and "gesticulating" toward a dismissed juror. "I won't tolerate it. I will not have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom," Merchan said. "I want to make that crystal clear."

And on Friday, Trump was scolded once again. The Daily Beast reported:

Just as the judge neared the end of his sentence, Trump abruptly stood up — apparently thinking the day was over. Immediately, Merchan turned his face to the former president and said in a firm voice: "Sir, can you please have a seat." ... The tone was decidedly sharper than even the one he'd taken when expressing disappointment in Trump's lawyers minutes earlier.Without hesitation, Trump went and plopped straight back down into his maroon leather chair at the defense table — and remained for another minute, fuming as the judge gathered his paperwork and strolled toward his chambers.

Trump whines that the judge makes him show up every day — even on days his son is graduating from high school or the Supreme Court is hearing his immunity appeal. He is incensed that someone else controls his calendar. It must be a rude awakening to him that in a criminal trial the judge runs the proceedings, not the defendant.

Trump's apparent naps in court have generated mocking commentary on social media and the late-night comedy shows. Either he wants to demonstrate his disdain for the proceedings or he is exhausted mentally, physically and emotionally. In any event, the irony is not lost on anyone: The candidate who criticizes Biden's energy has trouble staying conscious. (Meanwhile, the president set a vigorous campaign schedule crisscrossing Pennsylvania.)

When Trump emerged from court to show off pages of comments from loyal Fox News lackeys knocking the trial, he looked downright needy and rattled. By the end of each long court day in which the judge, prospective jurors and prosecutors recite bad things about him, a short rant outside the courtroom only underscores the power imbalance. He seems diminished.

Former Obama strategist David Axelrod summed up Trump's predicament: "He has been reduced to a criminal defendant in a courtroom where someone else has absolute power and the rules very definitely apply. The weariness and vulnerability captured in those courtroom images betray a growing recognition that he could wind up as the thing his old man most reviled. A convicted criminal? No, worse. A loser."

On Tuesday, Merchan will consider whether Trump should be held in contempt for violating the gag order, in particular for threatening witnesses and jurors on Truth Social. In a bad sign for Trump, Merchan last week defended the refusal of prosecutors to alert the Trump legal team to the order of witnesses for fear he would go after them. ("I can't fault them for that," Merchan said matter-of-factly.)

In other words, the judge is well aware that Trump has been desperate to undermine the court's authority and legitimacy, as well as the safety and security of witnesses. I would be shocked if Merchan didn't come down on Trump like a ton of bricks. Whether he is merely warned or fined, Trump will no doubt be on the other side of another lecture.

The stature, control and importance Trump has grown accustomed to for most of his life seeps away each day. That might come as a shock — both to him and the political media. Both should have understood that was inevitable once Trump faced a judge and jury. They seemed to forget: Trump is an ordinary criminal defendant no matter his former job.

The trial has barely begun. One wonders how Trump will hold up. The time and energy expended in the courtroom, the humiliating lectures and the recapitulation of his misdeeds have already taken their toll. Whether he wigs out when witnesses such as Michael Cohen take the stand or keeps running afoul of the gag order (both strong possibilities), Trump's temper tantrums only underscore his dilemma. Unable to mask his emotions in the midst of a narcissist's worst nightmare, Trump has never looked so small, so weary and so feeble.