Donald Trump and Trump Jr. Boast About 'Cranking Out a Couple of Mean Tweets' in Courthouse Video
As the jury deliberated for over four hours on Wednesday in the Donald Trump hush money trial, the former president and his son Donald Trump Jr. found a lighthearted distraction - filming a TikTok video from a back room at the Manhattan courthouse. The short 14-second clip showed the duo concocting their next "mean tweet" while awaiting the jury's verdict. "Hey guys, I'm with your favorite president," Trump Jr. opened the TikTok, seated alongside his father. "We're cranking out a couple of mean tweets at the courthouse," he joked with a smile.
The 45-year-old son then turned to his dad, asking, "Why don't you read that last one?" The former president took charge, responding "No, I think I'm going to put it out instead of reading it." He went on to praise his son, stating "I know my son's doing very well on social media. I'm proud of him." Trump Jr. then teased to his followers, "Stay tuned it'll be a doozy." The lighthearted moment came amid the intense criminal trial, where Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Despite the gravity of the case, he and his son managed to find room for frivolity between sips of Diet Coke and boxes of chocolates in the courthouse's plain meeting room, as per The Daily Mail.
Around the same time, Trump lashed out on Truth Social, criticizing Fox News anchor Shannon Bream for suggesting President Joe Biden was not involved in his "show trial." In an all-caps rant, he proclaimed "HOW STUPID!" and claimed Biden was "virtually leading" not just this case, but all investigations against him.
While Trump Jr.'s TikTok brought a brief comedic reprieve, the stakes remained immensely high as jurors continued deliberations. Should they find Trump guilty, it would mark the first ever criminal conviction of a former U.S. president - an unprecedented legal reckoning that could reshape his 2024 presidential campaign.
An acquittal, on the other hand, would embolden Trump and represent a major political win. The possibility of a mistrial also looms if the jury cannot reach a unanimous verdict after prolonged deliberations. As deliberations stretched into the evening hours on Wednesday, the seven men and five women on the jury sought to rehear key testimony. This included a recording from a 2016 meeting at Trump Tower, where prosecutors allege a "capture and kill" scheme arose to bury negative stories, as per MSN. They also revisited the testimony from David Pecker, the former National Enquirer publisher involved in paying hush money.
Trump has denied the alleged affair with Daniels, claiming the payments were simply for legal services to protect his family. But prosecutors have painted them as part of an illegal coverup plot to influence the 2016 election's outcome. While awaiting the fateful verdict, Trump remained confined to the 15th floor of the courthouse - an ordinary setting compared to his former luxury Manhattan towers.
