As he continues to rail against the fact that he’s on trial for crimes he allegedly committed to keep evidence of his affair with Stormy Daniels secret during the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump is also becoming furious over reports that he can’t manage to stay awake during the New York hush money proceedings.
Rolling Stone reports that while Trump has tried to paint himself as some sort of martyr, he clearly doesn’t like playing that role when it comes to his demeanor in court.
“I’m very proud to be here,” he told reporters before heading into court on Monday, calling the proceedings an “assault on America” that his presence, presumably, would serve to expose. “I’m very honored to be here,” the former president added.
Trump hasn’t been taking to martyrdom very well behind the scenes, though, three sources with knowledge of the matter tell Rolling Stone. He has privately raged over everything from reports that he can’t stop dozing off, to how the court sketch artist is rendering him, to late-night talk show hosts joking about his legal troubles. The former president is reaching levels of fury over the judicial process and all it entails that are “maxed out, even for him,” says one source who has had to personally endure Trump’s recent rantings about his trial.
In particular, the disgraced ex-president is said to be most upset with Maggie Haberman of the New York Times, who has begun counting how often he seems to nod off in court.
“He appeared to be asleep,” Haberman reported. “He didn’t pay attention to a note his lawyer passed him. His jaw kept falling on his chest, and his mouth kept going slack.”
On Friday, as Trump’s team was angrily denying Donald had been dozing off, Haberman again reported that he appeared to be asleep.
“His eyes were closed for extended periods and his head dropped down twice.”
And then there are the courtroom sketches, many of which Trump sees as unflattering, which is par for the course considering that he’s a malignant narcissist.
Trump has also privately asked people close to him if they agree that the courtroom sketch-artist must be out to get him, two of the sources say. Trump has critiqued the sketches of him that have circulated in the media this week, and insisted some of the images were likely drawn to make fun of him. One such sketch captured Trump snoozing, with his eyes closed and head tilted.
They’re all out to get me! Yep, that does indeed sound like the Donald Trump we’ve all grown to know and loathe over the years.
Stephanie Grisham, Trump’s former White House press secretary, says it’s all about control with her former boss, and now he has none.
“This entire experience must be beyond uncomfortable for him, not just the fact that it dives into such personal details, but he has absolutely no control for probably the first time since he was a young child.”
