They came to support Trump. They came to show the former president that they are vice-presidential material. They came to show that they could dress like the Donald. They took time out of their day–some of them were elected members of Congress– to support the guy inside the courthouse who, among other things, refuses to admit that he committed adultery with a porn star.
Oh, by the way, did I mention the Speaker of the House of the Representatives was there too?
Here is Mitt Romney:
The “red tie entourage” line belongs to MSNBC.
Here is Alec Hernandez at ABC News:
With his hush money trial still in full swing, former President Donald Trump’s vice presidential prospects have turned the lower Manhattan courthouse into a proving ground.
Several of the most frequently mentioned contenders to join Trump’s ticket have started to show up at 100 Centre St. in support of Trump. The trial has practically become a de facto campaign stop in recent weeks, as the former president and his allies — many wearing signature Trump red ties — have capitalized on breaks in the court’s proceedings to address the press, often deriding the legal thinking and the prosecutors behind the charges and attacking President Joe Biden.
Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, the first serious vice presidential contender to visit the trial, described Trump on Monday as “in great spirits despite the circumstances,” echoing many of the president’s criticisms of the trial.
“I think this trial is absolutely ridiculous. I think it’s a sham prosecution,” Vance told reporters outside the courthouse in an impromptu press conference, going on to attack Judge Juan Merchan and members of his family — a topic that is off-limits to Trump himself, due to a court-imposed gag order against the defendant.
Inside the courtroom, Vance posted his observations from the trial on X.
“I saw a media report a few days ago that Trump looked like he was falling asleep or bored or something. The obvious narrative they’re trying to sell is ‘yeah Biden is mentally unfit but this other guy is bad too,’” Vance wrote after describing the courtroom as “dingy.”
“I’m 39 years old and I’ve been here for 26 minutes and I’m about to fall asleep,” Vance added.
Trump arrived at court Tuesday with yet more potential running mates in tow. Trump was flanked by North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida and former GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy, among others, as he delivered remarks before entering the courtroom.
Read the rest here.