“Was I a bad boy?”
Trump wanted to testify, but not answer everything
By Roland Peters, New York
01.06.2024, 02:47 a.m.
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After the historic verdict, there is a surprisingly good mood among Donald Trump’s supporters in front of Trump Tower. The sun is shining, and inside the former president finds his way again at a symbolic place.
He can hardly get his hands down. Donald Trump, the day after his historic conviction in the hush money trial, monologues in the lobby of Trump Tower about how he sees things. “Bad, in many cases sick people” did this to him, he explains to the hand-picked press, while the police have cordoned off the sidewalk in front of the door. The ex-president underlines, asks rhetorically, explains his version. In this way, he fits the guilty verdict of the Manhattan criminal court into the picture that he constantly paints of himself: me and my supporters, the victims. The others and President Joe Biden, the perpetrators.
The fact that Trump is holding the press conference here on the ground floor is symbolic. Eight years ago, he rode down the much-quoted escalator to announce his candidacy. Eight years ago, the meeting with his then personal lawyer Michael Cohen and the tabloid publisher David Pecker also took place in this building, where they agreed to take Trump’s affairs with women out of circulation. According to the prosecution, this was the beginning of the conspiracy to influence the election, which was covered up by false documents. Guilty on 34 counts. The sentence is to be announced on July 11.
Now, 18 hours after the verdict, the convicted man is holding his monologue lasting more than half an hour. “I would have testified, I wanted to testify,” Trump assures. But the judge wanted to allow any questions, not just about the case being tried; “Was I a bad boy here, a bad boy there?” He didn’t want to get himself into trouble by not giving an exact statement on a small thing, he says. Trump points from his lectern to the huge glass front facing the street, where a few hundred people can be seen. “I would like to thank the large crowd very much, the support is incredible.”
“The Donfather”
Out there, on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street and on the sidewalk opposite, a crowd of journalists and a smaller group of Trump supporters are jostling. The sun is shining, someone is blaring pop music from a loudspeaker, flags are waving in the breeze; including a huge one with “Trump or Death” and a website address that leads to a fan shop. There are flags and T-shirts there: from “The Donfather” in the design of “The Godfather”, the alleged election victory in 2020 (“Trump Won”), or “The Real Uprising – November 3, 2020”, the day of the last presidential election, when in the MAGA world their president only lost because of alleged election fraud by Biden.
Two friends lean against the wall of the house and observe the scene. “I laughed when I heard about the verdict,” says Paul Duran, a 57-year-old wearing a Trump T-shirt and matching cap. The two New Yorkers wanted to go to the courthouse, but the guilty verdict got there first. “We are watching a movie, and it is the climax,” he says. “It is the beginning of the end for Biden’s presidency.” They expect Trump to win the election in November. Legal experts agree. Even if a prison sentence is imposed in July, the Republican candidate-designate will be allowed to move into the White House.
Duran and his friend worked together for several years as craftsmen for the city. Then the pandemic came and they refused the mandatory vaccination. Paul Duran was able to take early retirement, but his colleague was fired and has been unemployed ever since. Not only Trump’s supporters, but also opponents are crowding the sidewalk. “Lock him up,” reads a sign. “How much do you want for it?” Paul Duran calls out to the owner. “$1,000!” comes the immediate reply. Paul Duran waves him off, laughing.
At some point, a few vehicles decorated with memorabilia and slogans push past between the crowd and Trump Tower; the press conference is already over. Trump’s supporters have no intention of leaving; they are cheering for the welcome entertainment. “F*ck Biden,” one of the flags on the barrier greets the cars. A huge pickup truck lets out a deafening truck horn alternating with a hip-hop song with a Trump sample. “We are the best country in the world,” his voice purrs over the beat.
No questions please
Trump had previously complained inside the tower that he should go to prison while violence in the city was reaching levels never seen before. “This is way beyond me, and it shouldn’t be done to other presidents either. This is bigger than Trump or my presidency.” It echoed what Trump is currently trying to achieve with his lawyers before the Supreme Court: immunity not only for incumbent presidents, but also for former presidents. The conservative-dominated Supreme Court will announce its decision by July at the latest. Depending on the outcome, he could face three more trials, including on charges of inciting the insurrection on January 6, 2021, when hundreds of his supporters stormed the Capitol.
Trump seemed calm but determined most of the time; whenever disbelief mixed in, a little anger bubbled up. Quite different from shortly after the verdict on Thursday, when the former president sneaked out of the courtroom in front of the cameras and mechanically delivered his usual victim formulas. After all, he had to say something. The very next day, Trump is back on his way, the way forward. “We will fight,” he assures those present. He doesn’t allow any questions.