The Manhattan courthouse where former President Trump is on trial has become the latest proving ground for Republicans to show their loyalty and bolster their credentials with Team Trump.
A parade of GOP lawmakers and other Republicans have attended Trump’s secret trial in recent days, standing alongside the former president and delivering remarks attacking the case as political, sometimes in ways that Trump cannot do because of a gag order. .
There are obvious benefits for those who show up. They could win Trump’s endorsement, kind words, a future administration position or, perhaps, the vice-presidential position.
“Those who show up and really get their message across during this trial will really be rewarded politically,” a GOP strategist told The Hill.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida) attended last week, followed by Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (RN.Y.) on Monday .
The group grew on Tuesday, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Florida) and Rep. Cory Mills (R-Florida). behind Trump as he addressed reporters outside the courtroom.
Trump is clearly pleased with the Republican parade in New York.
“I have a lot of surrogates and they speak very well,” Trump said. “We have a lot of great people here to talk to you.”
A Trump campaign official said those who participated in the trial did so on their own and were not invited by the campaign.
It’s a notable change from earlier in the trial, when Trump’s entourage was smaller and comprised mostly of his lawyers, Secret Service detail and some campaign aides. The increase in turnout followed testimony from adult film actor Stormy Daniels, which sources said had a negative impact on Trump.
Now, as jurors listen to Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer and prosecutors’ star witness, more than 15 people have at times followed the former president into the courtroom.
Trump places emphasis on the loyalty of his supporters and takes note of what they say in the media. It is typical for Johnson and other lawmakers to travel to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump and try to reinforce his standing with the former president.
But watching the trial in which Trump is accused of making a secret payment to Daniels to cover up an alleged affair marks new ground, even for some of Trump’s most ardent allies.
Johnson appears
The Speaker of the House’s appearance was notable, as Johnson appeared in his official role rather than simply as a congressman from Louisiana.
There are also big questions about whether Johnson would keep his job next year if the Republican Party maintains its majority. Trump recently supported Johnson, who did not actually enter the courtroom, as he faced an attempt by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) to remove him.
Johnson, in remarks outside court Tuesday, said Judge Juan Merchan’s daughter’s work in Democratic politics was “among the atrocities” of the case, which he framed as part of a broader Justice Department attempt to thwart Trump for political reasons.
Scott also attacked Merchan’s daughter, claiming her work tarnished the judge’s impartiality.
Trump mounted an effort to have Merchan rejected for his daughter’s work at a progressive digital agency, but the judge rejected the demands after getting advice from an ethics committee for New York judges.
Trump is under a gag order that prohibits him from attacking witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and the judge’s family. But his allies in Congress are not subject to such restrictions and have likely humored him with attacks on the credibility of witnesses and the judge.
One Republican strategist argued that there are several benefits to Trump in having in-person surrogates.
This helps the former president control the narrative and creates the impression, for those following the process, inside and outside the court, that there is strong support for Trump, said the strategist.
“Yes, it shows support. Yes, that puts a united front. But it also shows why Trump is an accomplished media master,” the strategist said.
Trump often shouted out to his allies in attendance, praising them and reading their statements attacking the case of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D).
“They think what’s happening to democracy in this country is a terrible thing,” Trump said Monday when asked why Washington lawmakers joined him. “We have a lot of them; they want to come. I say, just stay back and pass lots of laws to stop things like this.”
Vice Presidential Race
The court has become almost a necessary stop for those hoping to join Trump on the ticket in November. Vance, Burgum and Donalds are among those being considered for the position.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), another potential Trump running mate, reportedly discussed participating in the trial with his team.
Vance, in a series of posts on social platform X on Monday, questioned Cohen’s credibility as a witness and sarcastically called him a “stand-up guy.”
The senator also dismissed the idea that Trump is unfit for office because he dozed off during the trial, joking, “I’m 39 years old, I’ve been here 26 minutes, and I’m about to fall asleep.”
“The sooner this sham trial can be concluded, the sooner the president can get back to campaigning and talking to the American people about the issues that matter to them,” Burgum said outside the courtroom on Tuesday.
Inside the courtroom, Trump’s allies typically sit in the first or second row of the gallery, near the former president’s security detail and where his son, Eric Trump, sits when he appears. Lara Trump, the former president’s daughter-in-law, was also present on Tuesday for the first time.
They generally paid attention to the proceedings, including looking at monitors to read documents presented to the jury. But some were also on the phone at times.
Trump-allied state attorneys general also appeared. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird (R) and Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall (R) sat down Monday, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) joined one day before the trial.
Days after Paxton’s appearance, Trump endorsed several primary challengers to the Texas lawmakers who voted to impeach Paxton last year. The former president dubbed it a “fraudulent impeachment” in posts on Truth Social.
The cavalcade of guests has caught the attention of some Democrats, who see it as the latest sign that Trump’s trials are turning into something of a media circus.
“As if this wasn’t already a bizarre reality show, now we have celebrity guest appearances in courtroom galleries, from acolytes wanting to punch their card with the boss,” David Axelrod, who served as a senior advisor to former President Obama, posted on X.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
