Uncomfortable in his seat
The public humiliation of Trump got under way this morning. It may be the only consolation we ever get.
The prosecutor, Matthew Colangelo, presented to the jury that Trump’s “catch-and-kill” scheme with the National Enquirer was entirely geared towards helping the Trump 2016 campaign.
Colangelo contended there were three parts to the alleged conspiracy: that the National Enquirer would run positive coverage, the National Enquirer would attack political opponents and that the National Enquirer would act as the eyes and ears for the campaign to detect and suppress negative stories.
Journalism at its finest.
During much of Colangelo’s opening statement, Trump appeared uncomfortable in his seat with his brow furrowed while the unsavory details of the alleged affair with Daniels and his boasts about grabbing women’s genitals in the infamous Access Hollywood tape were read out to the jury.
“With his brow furrowed” is a nice way of putting it. A more realistic way would be “scowling like a child.” He always scowls like a child, and very stupid it makes him look.
But part of the Access Hollywood tape that was read out verbatim – when Trump remarked he could grab women “by the pussy” – caused Trump to frown deeper and fidget in his seat.
Well, I hope he’s suffering agonies of embarrassment and shame. It’s long overdue.
I understand that for whatever reason it was decided that the Access Hollywood tape could not be played to the jury, but it could be read out. In some ways that was bad for Trump because a stone cold reading of the words sounds even worse than a bragging male surrounded by sycophants.
Embarrassment? I doubt he’s capable. His behaviour is more like that of a furious four-year-old whose parents have been called into school by the teacher, and who has been told that he must be quiet while the adults are talking, or he won’t be allowed out to play afterwards.
He’s not ashamed of the litany of sins being read out; he’s angry because he doesn’t recognise that the people reading it out have any authority to do so, nor that other people have a right to find his pronouncements wanting. He’s the scriptwriter, director, producer and star in the story of his life, and other people are supposed to give him constant adulation. Instead, they’re going off script.
He’s Sid, in Toy Story.
That’s why I said I hope rather than I see or I know or I understand. It may be a forlorn hope but it’s better than no hope at all!
Ah, sorry Ophelia. It is mean of me to deprive you of hope, however fragile. It is a grand thing to be able to hang on to hope in the face of constant disappointment.
That man just makes me so angry.
Same. Same same samety same same.