Trump Slammed Online for Being ‘Disrespectful’ After Reports He ‘Doesn’t Stand up for Jurors’

As former president Donald Trump sits through his historic hush money criminal trial, observers noticed one thing they were instantly put off by - Trump didn't stand up for potential jurors, despite everyone else standing up for them. 

After a pool reporter noted the observation, the internet took to slam Trump for his disregard for the law, and for jurors themselves. Tyler McBrien, the managing editor for Lawfare, posted on X, formerly Twitter, "A pool reporter notes that, curiously, 'when the defense is introduced to the potential jurors seated in the audience, Trump does not stand up like his legal team does to turn and face them'."

On April 18, Trump showed up in the Manhattan criminal court for the third day of his hush-money trial, which also marked the continuation of the convoluted jury selection procedure. The Guardian reported that Trump, the first former US president to be charged with a crime, seemed expressionless as he sat through the Thursday morning session.

A user commented, connecting his disrespect to authoritarianism, saying on X, "Let us not forget that he believes he alone is the leader and therefore does not stand for anyone. He is an authoritarian." Another user said on X, "Trump violates the rule of law. Trump violates the rules of the court. Fascists want to 'rule by law,' not be held accountable to the rule of law. It’s all there, of a piece." Another user torched Trump on X, saying, "A jury is considered to be the defendants' peers. Trump does not consider ordinary citizens as his peers and is showing his contempt for them. I hope they pick up on his disrespect." 

Another person noted on X, "This is a BIG mistake by Trump. Even -- actually, especially -- former presidents should stand for the jury and show them respect." A user discussed what this explains about his mental condition, explaining on X, "He is psychologically unable to do so. These miserable nobodies being given power over him? Unthinkable. I cannot conceive of a closer approximation to Hell for someone with Narcissistic Personality Disorder than being a defendant in a felony criminal trial." Another user shared on X, "He cannot deal w/the fact that ordinary people will be judging him. He thinks no one should judge him."

Many practicing lawyers also commented on this, explaining that they've never seen a defendant exhibit this arrogance. Ron Filipkowski, editor of Meidas Touch Network, shared his experience, "I’ve tried over 250 criminal jury trials over 29 years and I have never once not had a client stand up for jurors. That includes 6 charged with murder. Leave it to Trump to go out of his way to be a boorish, obnoxious asshole." 

Judge Merchan forbade the media from releasing the workplaces of possible jurors in the trial and issued a warning against publishing specific details about jurors after one juror was let go due to fears that some of her friends and relatives would have figured out she was the one, per ABC News. Judge Merchan issued a warning to Trump and the media covering the case not to intimidate the jury.