Trump allies pour into NYC courthouse to ‘support their friend,’ say they’re not coordinating with campaign
Fox News
Allies of former President Trump are coming to court in New York City this week of their own volition and without coordination from the Trump campaign, according to sources who told Fox News Digital that Republican guests are “genuinely” coming to “support their friend” during his criminal trial.
Trump was joined by a number of GOP allies Tuesday as he arrived at court in Lower Manhattan for the 17th day of his trial.
“All guests volunteer to come to court to support their friend, President Trump, and are not invited by the campaign,” a Trump campaign official told Fox News Digital.
The official said the growing number of Republican allies coming to the downtown Manhattan courthouse is “not some kind of coordinated political thing.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy joined the former president at the courthouse Tuesday.
Sens. J.D. Vance, Tommy Tuberville, Rick Scott and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis attended court with the former president on Monday.
“I came here, again, today, on my own, to support President Trump,” Johnson, R-La., said outside the court in New York City on Tuesday morning.
A source close to Vance told Fox News Digital that the senator “went to court yesterday for one very simple reason: To show support for his friend.”
“No one on the Trump team asked him to go,” the source told Fox News Digital. “He just thought it was the right thing to do.”
MICHAEL COHEN TESTIFIES HE SECRETLY RECORDED TRUMP IN LEAD-UP TO 2016 ELECTION
Trump’s son, Eric Trump, also attended the court proceedings this week supporting his father.
The support comes as ex-Trump attorney Michael Cohen takes the stand.
Cohen is said to be the star witness for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his team as they try to prove the former president falsified business records related to a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
Bragg charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges and maintains his innocence.
SPEAKER JOHNSON TO ATTEND TRUMP TRIAL IN MANHATTAN IN SHOW OF SUPPORT
Cohen, who once famously said he would “take a bullet” for Trump, his former longtime boss and friend, testified about his role in arranging the alleged hush-money payment to Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election in an effort to keep her allegations of a sexual encounter with Trump in the early 2000s from becoming public.
Cohen testified on Monday that he personally paid the $130,000 payment to Daniels using a home equity line of credit in an effort to conceal the payment from his wife. Cohen said he did this because Trump told him to “handle it” and prevent a negative story from coming out ahead of the election.
Cohen said that former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg facilitated his reimbursement plan for the payment, and claimed that Trump, himself, knew the details of that reimbursement.
Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the case, imposed a gag order on Trump for the entirety of the trial, blocking him from discussing court staff or witnesses. Merchan has already held Trump in contempt of court for violating the gag order 10 times and has fined the former president $10,000. Merchan has threatened Trump with jail time should he violate the gag order again.
Trump allies in and outside of court during Cohen’s testimony can speak out against his ex-attorney on his behalf.