Seven men and five women jurors, headed by a foreperson who grew up in Ireland, were deep into a fourth hour of their historic task when they shattered the oppressive tedium of Wednesday afternoon. A buzzer demanding the judge’s attention sounded, suddenly sending lawyers, court staff, police and reporters rushing for their seats. Then Trump arrived from his holding room, tugging heavily on his lapels.
Trump’s vigil As Merchan laid out his instructions for the first time on Wednesday, Trump watched from the defense lawyers’ table. He rocked back in his chair and closed his eyes, and just when it appeared he might be snoozing, shook his head contemptuously and grimaced as Merchan read out the 34th charge. At one point, Trump reached inside his jacket and pulled out a pen to write a note to his square-jawed defense lawyer Todd Blanche to his right.