Eric Trump joined his father for the first time at his criminal trial in New York on Tuesday morning and offered a withering assessment of what he saw.
‘There are hundreds of law enforcement officers, the streets are closed for several blocks around the courthouse and the entire district attorney’s office is present, their top prosecutors, all for a $130,000 fee from a lawyer? in 2016?’ he told DailyMail.com.
Eric Trump sat in the front row, right behind his father, during the proceedings on the 15th floor of Manhattan’s aging criminal court.
He listened as his father was charged with contempt and fined $9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order before hearing testimony from prosecution witnesses Gary Farro, a banker, and Keith Davidson, a lawyer who represented
Trump has denied 34 charges of corporate fraud.
Eric Trump (left) met his father in Manhattan Criminal Court for the first time Tuesday morning. He questioned why hundreds of officers had been diverted from other duties to surround the court building when New York was reeling from high crime levels.
And his son said it was impossible not to conclude that the case had to do with politics.
‘Crime is at an all-time high in New York,” he said. ‘Stores are closing left and right due to unimaginable theft; everyone else has to cover their stuff behind locked plexiglass to avoid being looted.
‘Children have been shot in Times Square. Women have been thrown to their deaths on the subway, drugs and homelessness are through the roof.
‘No one believes this production is serious. Nobody believes this isn’t 1,000 percent politically motivated.’
Allies have made similar points, questioning whether such a heavy police presence is necessary when officers have so much work to do in other parts of the city.
While police officers guarded the courthouse in lower Manhattan, students at Columbia University further north intensified their protest in Gaza, taking over a building on campus, for example.
His father also condemned the closure of streets around the court and complained that it prevented his supporters from gathering nearby.
“Lower Manhattan surrounding the Courthouse, where I’m headed now, is completely CLOSED,” he posted on Truth Social last week.
Parts of a public square have been left open for protesters from both sides of the political divide to gather, although navigating the streets around the courthouse has left visitors confused and disoriented.
Trump has denied 34 charges of falsifying business records. He is seen here with his lawyers.
Eric Trump arrived with his father Tuesday morning as the trial entered its third week.
Trump aide Margo Martin leaves Trump Tower with the president to address the court
Natalie Harp, another Trump aide, and his senior adviser Dan Scavino make their way toward the motorcade.
Eric arrived with Trump aides Margo McDonald and Natalie Harp. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also attended for the first time.
Now in its third week, the trial has kept Trump away from the election campaign. However, on Wednesday (when the court will not meet) he is due to appear in Wisconsin and Michigan, where he will hold an evening rally.
Trump is accused of falsifying business records to hide money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Jurors have heard testimony from aide Rhona Graff, who described once seeing Daniels in Trump’s office and assumed she must be in the running to appear on an ‘Apprentice’ show.
And last week, former National Enquirer editor David Pecker described how he agreed to act as the ‘eyes and ears’ of the Trump campaign, hunting down and deleting unflattering stories about the 2016 Republican nominee.
Elsewhere in the city, pro-Palestinian protesters broke windows and took control of a building on the Columbia University campus, raising tensions between them and the school.
Texas Attorney General and close Trump ally Ken Paxton was also present Tuesday.
Judge Juan Merchán also warned the former president that he could face jail if he does not stop his flow of attacks on witnesses.
And in a clear warning in his ruling, the judge highlighted the challenge of relying on financial sanctions against a defendant who “can easily afford” to pay the fine. In the case of billionaire Trump, he raised the possibility of ‘whether in some cases jail may be a necessary punishment.’
But there was good news for the 77-year-old former president, as Judge Merchan ruled that he could attend Barron’s high school graduation next month.
Trump’s advisers were outraged at the start of the trial when Merchan said he couldn’t guarantee he could give the court the day off.
Trump was fined $1,000 each by a series of social media posts directed at witness Michael Cohen and questioning the jury’s bias.