A former Apprentice contestant has shared an intriguing theory about why Donald Trump closed his eyes during Hope Hicks’ testimony at his hush money trial in New York.
The former president has already responded to claims that he was sleeping in the courtroom, claiming he was closing his eyes to “take it all in.”
Former Apprentice candidate Stacy Schneider appears to support his position, but offered an alternative explanation for the gesture.
“I don’t think he’s taking it all in, I think he’s coping,” Schneider said. cnn. “I think she calms down when she closes her eyes, it has nothing to do with sleep.”
“I think he knew the moment Hope Hicks took that stance that she was going to be a pain, that she was going to be an embarrassment to him.”
Former Apprentice contestant Stacey Schneider has shared an intriguing theory about why Donald Trump closed his eyes during Hope Hicks’ testimony at his hush money trial in New York.
Hope Hicks (right) took the stand Friday in Manhattan Criminal Court.
The former president has already retracted claims that he was sleeping in the courtroom, saying he was closing his eyes to “take it all in.”
Schneider, who appeared on The Apprentice in 2006, added that Trump’s genuine affection for Hicks, his former White House Communications Director, made his testimony even more painful.
“I don’t think he cared much about the other witnesses even though he said David Pecker was his friend for 20 years. He doesn’t care about Michael Cohen, he cares about Hope Hicks,” Schneider said.
“I was going to bring together the three parts of his life that are the subject of this trial: his business operations, his White House operations and, finally, his personal interactions.”
Schneider explained that his experience on the former president’s television show gives him a unique insight into his behavior.
“I know how he acts when people talk out of turn,” he explained.
Hicks took the stand in Manhattan Criminal Court, where Trump faces trial over a $130,000 payment to adult actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, the nature of which prosecutors say he attempted to conceal in his internal records. company.
Trump has denied having a sexual encounter with Daniels and his lawyers argue the payments were legitimate legal expenses.
Hicks broke down in tears during her testimony Friday, where she detailed the “crisis” sparked by the infamous Access Hollywood tape and her own “stunned” reaction to the hush money trial.
The 35-year-old was one of Trump’s most senior advisers and was involved in his 2015 campaign for office.
The 35-year-old was one of Trump’s most senior advisers and was involved in his 2015 campaign for office.
She broke down in tears during her testimony Friday, where she detailed the “crisis” sparked by the infamous Access Hollywood tape and her own “stunned” reaction to the hush money trial.
Hicks told jurors that Trump claimed he knew nothing about Daniels being paid by his then-attorney Michael Cohen. Pictured: Trump and Hicks at a campaign rally in Florida in 2020
The two became close, and she helped him overcome the scandal of being caught on tape bragging about groping women, which threatened to derail his 2016 presidential bid.
The two became close, and she helped him overcome the scandal of being caught on tape bragging about groping women, which threatened to derail his 2016 presidential bid.
Hicks told the court that Trump’s 2016 campaign was concerned about the potential political damage of the Access Hollywood tape.
She recalled in vivid detail how, as the campaign’s press secretary, she walked to the 25th floor of Trump Tower to interrupt debate preparations and hand Trump the transcript of the clip where he made the ‘grab them by the f–k’ comments. **’. .
An angry Trump insisted he “didn’t want to offend anyone” and called his rude comments “pretty standard stuff for two guys chatting with each other,” he told jurors.
Prosecutors walked her through detailed descriptions of her interactions with Trump as he leveled lurid accusations.
He also revealed that he has not spoken to the former president since the fall of 2022 and that he is paying his own lawyer, despite his unwavering loyalty when he worked at his side.
Prosecutors hope his testimony will bolster their argument: The uproar over the tape prompted Trump’s then-lawyer to pay porn actor Stormy Daniels to bury a negative story that could jeopardize his 2016 presidential bid.
Hicks told jurors that Trump claimed he knew nothing about Daniels being paid by his then-attorney Michael Cohen.
Former Donald Trump aide Hope Hicks broke down in tears during testimony detailing the “crisis” sparked by the infamous Access Hollywood tape and her own “shocked” reaction to the “hush money” trial on Friday. .
Hicks rushes out of Manhattan Criminal Court after his emotional testimony Friday.
Hope Hicks smiles at U.S. President Donald Trump during a Make America Great Again rally at Dubuque Regional Airport on Nov. 1, 2020, in Dubuque, Iowa.
But he said he eventually came to believe that burying the Daniels story was prudent, saying he thought “it would have been bad for that story to come out before the election.”
He also described how Trump had ordered him to ensure that no newspapers were delivered to Trump Tower when a tell-all story about an alleged affair with former Playboy model Karen McDougal was to be published.
“I don’t think he wanted anyone in his family to feel hurt or embarrassed by anything that was happening in the campaign. He wanted them to be proud of him,” Hicks responded when asked about Trump’s opinion on the matter.
Hicks was once one of Trump’s most trusted advisers and was close to Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
However, she and Trump haven’t spoken much since she left his team in 2021.
Hicks left her position after the Jan. 6 riot in a long-planned move, but her congressional testimony on Capitol Hill suggested she was angry at her former boss and had rejected his baseless claims of election fraud.