Sseveral allies of the former president Donald Trump showed up at the Manhattan courthouse to support him during his trial.
The participants at Trump secret trial Among them so far are the Republican House speaker, several members of Congress, state attorneys general and two of Trump’s former opponents in the presidential primary. Notably absent is Melania Trump, the former First Lady, who has yet to appear in court.
Politicians aligned with Trump took advantage of their presence in the courtroom to attack the testimony, since the former president is barred from publicly commenting on key figures in the trial. Trump is currently on trial on 34 counts over allegations that he falsified business records to conceal a secret payment to an adult film actress before the 2016 election. Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer testified Monday that Trump personally approved the hush-money repayment plan at the heart of the criminal allegations.
The display of support from Trump’s allies is expected to continue throughout the trial, with more political figures promising to join him in court soon. For many, the courthouse provides a stage to amplify their loyalty to Trump and raise their profile amid the media frenzy surrounding the historic trial.
“We have a lot of them that want to come,” Trump told reporters Monday. “I just say stand back and pass lots of laws to stop things like this.”
Here’s a look at those who sided with Trump during the trial.
House Speaker Mike Johnson
House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday became the highest-ranking Republican to accompany Trump during his criminal trial, calling the proceedings a sham. “These are politically motivated trials and they are a disgrace. This is election interference,” the Louisiana Republican told reporters in the park outside the Manhattan courthouse.
He claimed Democrats were keeping Trump out of the 2024 election campaign and criticized Cohen, the prosecution’s key witness. “This is a man who is clearly on a mission for personal revenge and who is widely known as a witness who struggles with the truth,” Johnson said.
His visit to the courthouse comes just a week after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, unsuccessfully tried to oust him as speaker, in part because he refused to accept reimbursement . investigation by special counsel Jack Smith in Trump.
Representatives Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetzand other House Republicans
Nine Republican lawmakers visited the Manhattan courthouse Thursday in support of Trump: Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, Rep. Arizona’s Eli Crane, Tennessee’s Rep. Andy Ogles, Florida Representative Anna Paulina LunaSouth Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman and Virginia Rep. Bob Good.
Many lawmakers shared their support for Trump on X. “They may have gagged President Trump. They didn’t gag me. They didn’t gag us. » Boebert wrote. “This is a pathetic political witch hunt!” »
Three other House Republicans stopped by the Manhattan courthouse earlier in the trial: Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis and Florida Rep. Cory Mills. Donalds is considered a possible vice presidential candidate.
Vivek Ramaswamy
Vivek Ramaswamy, former Republican presidential candidate also attended the trial Tuesday, as he may be seeking a place in Trump’s cabinet. He has long been considered a contender to serve as Trump’s vice president for a possible second term. Ramaswamy called the trial an “insult to American democracy” on social media.
Eric and Lara Trump
Trump’s son, Eric, is the only member of the Trump family to regularly attend the trial. His wife, Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump, was also there Tuesday, about two months after she was elected co-chair after being endorsed by her father-in-law.
Florida Senator Rick Scott
Florida Senator Rick Scott, running for re-election in November, May 9. became the first high-profile Trump ally to accompany him into the Manhattan courtroom. He drove with Trump from Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue to the courthouse and sat in the front row as the defense questioned adult film star Stormy Daniels, one of the main witnesses in the affair.
“I’m here because I’ve known Donald Trump for a long time,” Scott said. “I knew him before I was governor. I consider him a friend. And what he is experiencing is simply despicable.
Ohio Senator JD Vance
Ohio Sen. JD Vance, widely considered a vice presidential contender, was among the group who arrived in court with Trump on Monday and stood behind him as he spoke to reporters before enter the courtroom.
“Every single person involved in this lawsuit is practically a Democratic political operative,” Vance told reporters outside the courthouse, adding that it was a “shame” that Trump couldn’t say it himself due to with an order of silence. Vance, once a harsh critic of the former president, previously said he “can’t stand Trump” but is now a close ally and will appear with him at a fundraiser in Ohio on Wednesday.
Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville
Sen. Tommy Tuberville attended the trial Monday, telling reporters that the Manhattan courtroom was “the most depressing thing I’ve ever been in.”
“First of all, I am disappointed in the courtroom. I hear, ‘Mr. Trump, Mr. Trump. He’s ‘former President Trump,'” the Alabama Republican said outside. “Give him some respect. I mean, that’s what this place is like in there This is not a respect. This is also what I see. This courtroom is depressing. audience which is the most depressing thing in which I’ve never been.
Tuberville also criticized Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, saying he walks into the courtroom and “acts like it’s his Super Bowl.”
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who is also reportedly on Trump’s short list for vice presidential picks, appeared in the Manhattan courtroom Tuesday alongside the former president. He endorsed Trump in January after abandoning his own Republican presidential bid, calling him a “friend” and “partner.”
He has already criticized Trump: in July, Burgum said that he would not do business with him, stating that “you are judged by the company you keep.”
Attorneys general of Alabama and Iowa
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall both attended Trump’s trial Monday, sitting near the front of the courtroom. When Trump won the Iowa caucuses, he told the crowd in his victory speech that Bird “will be your governor one day.”
Absent: Melania Trump
About a month after the trial began, Melania Trump has yet to appear in the courtroom or on the campaign trail with her husband.
As Cohen spoke Monday, he said Trump told him it was Melania who came up with the infamous “locker room talk” defense when a Access Hollywood adhesive tape was revealed in October 2016 in which Trump was heard boasting that “when you’re a star” you can “do anything” to women, including “grab them by the f—-.”
Cohen also said in his testimony that Trump didn’t care about how his wife would react to his alleged affair with Stormy Daniels and was thinking mostly about his campaign. (Trump denies having a sexual relationship with Daniels.)
-With additional reporting by Chantelle Lee/New York