A hearing regarding a gag order in Donald Trump's hush money trial in New York took a hilarious turn turn Thursday morning when Trump attorney Todd Blanche read a series of tweets mocking his client—in front of Trump, mind you—causing laughter in the courtroom.
The hearing in which the tweets were introduced centered on the prosecution's assertion that Trump has violated a gag order four additional times, on top of the ten violations addressed in a similar hearing on Tuesday, when the judge found Trump in contempt for nine of the ten and fined him $9,000.
Blanche was trying to convince Judge Juan Merchan that Trump should be allowed to defend himself against online attacks, even from witnesses in the hush money case against him. However, Blanche's argument did not resonate with the court.
One tweet from former Trump fixer Michael Cohen repeatedly referred to Trump by a nickname, "Von ShitzInPantz," which Blanche read aloud, including for Trump himself. Blanche also mentioned that Cohen had retweeted an edited image of Trump as a bright orange superhero named "Super Victim," causing laughter among those present.
Blanche argued:
“Everyone can say what they want in this case except President Trump."
Merchan, however, pushed back, stating:
“They’re not defendants in this case. That’s a very significant issue you’re overlooking.”
News of the courtroom's response exposed Trump and Blanche to significant mockery online.
That Blanche's line of defense backfired underscores the fact that Trump is reportedly dissatisfied with his defense team's performance, particularly with Blanche, per a New York Times report.
Despite Blanche being one of Trump's preferred attorneys for a while, the former president has privately expressed dissatisfaction with him in recent weeks, according to four sources who spoke to the publication.
Trump has grumbled that Blanche hasn't been adhering closely to his instructions and has lacked aggressiveness. He wants Blanche to challenge witnesses, criticize the supposedly biased jury pool, and confront Merchan more directly.
Trump, who frequently complains about legal fees and occasionally withholds payments, has also questioned the high costs of his legal team, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the topic.
