'Trapped in that courtroom': Legal analyst offers 'two reasons' Trump showed face in defamation trial

One day after winning the Republican Iowa Caucus, former President Donald Trump appeared in court Tuesday for day one of his civil defamation trial, where a jury will be asked to determine how much Trump must pay veteran journalist E. Jean Carroll in damages.

"Surprised" by the former president' court appearance, MSNBC's Chris Hayes spoke with legal analyst Lisa Rubin, who was in the New York courtroom with Trump, about whether or not she had a sense of why he chose to show up.

"So I think there are two reasons that he went," Rubin said. "One is a convergence of a legal and political strategy because Donald Trump seems to understand full well that his popularity rises in proportion to his playing the victim. And here, rather than allow E. Jean Carroll to rope self into the victimhood that she has, in fact, earned, he decided he would play the victim so that when he goes back to New Hampshire he can say, 'Oh, I was trapped in that courtroom all day, I had to be there when I would so much rather be here with you.'

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The legal analyst continued, "But I think the other reason that he went wants to make eye contact with as many of the people who are either decision-makers or accusers here as possible. And just like at his arraignment in Florida last year, when he turned around, faced the gallery, and stared down a gallery full of press, including me, today those stairs were reserved for the prospective jurors. And included not only looking at them as they answered the judges questions, but also a lot of just gesticulating. For example, when Judge Kaplan asked, 'Does anyone here believe President Trump has been treated unfairly by the justice system,' two prospective jurors stood up. But former President Trump also answered the question even though it wasn't directed at him [by raising his hand]. It's performative."

Watch the video below or at this link.

'Trapped in that courtroom': Legal analyst offers 'two reasons' Trump showed up to defamation trialyoutu.be

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