Rachel Maddow Attends Trump Trial, Says ‘He’s Thinner’ But Looks ‘Angry… Miserable Being Here’

After being a fly on the courtroom wall on the first day of Donald Trump’s secret trial, Rachel Maddow noted how the former president appears “thinner than I have seen him in the past” but “considerably older” and “like a man unhappy to be here.”

Maddow pulled some strings to get to the Manhattan courtroom where New York State is presenting its election interference case, which revolves around secret payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

“Thank you to everyone at NBC for allowing me into the courtroom,” Maddow said Monday on MSNBC. “I realize this is a hot topic and it’s a privilege to cover something so historic.”

Maddow echoed news reports that the dark, fluorescent-lit courtroom is an odd context in which to see the former president, known for his luxurious comfort.

“I will just say in terms of the mood in the room, what you’ve heard about it being a pretty dingy courtroom is real,” Maddow said. “It’s not necessarily important in terms of how the wheels of justice work. It’s striking to see the former president, someone who tried to embody the luxury brand, sitting in a room that essentially looks like a high-ceilinged DMV office.

Maddow recapped some of Monday’s opening arguments, explaining how Trump’s defense brought complex counter-narratives to the prosecution’s simpler “points.”

“(Defense attorney Todd) Blanche actually put forward a whole counterfactual: ‘You know, these invoices from Michael Cohen were actually for legal fees for his legal services, and there was no sexual relationship between Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels,’ Maddow continued.

“All these other kinds of counter-narratives that could explain the evidence weren’t just connecting the dots – they were a kind of baroque, detailed, elaborate story with a lot of emotion attached to it, that the jury was waiting for, I think, to adhere to it as much with their heart as with their mind It is therefore a much more cerebral and simple matter on the part of the prosecution.

From where she sat, Maddow described Trump’s influence as “inert” and “sagging,” as well as “old, tired and crazy.” She did not consider him “particularly animated”, but rather “annoyed, resigned, even angry”.

“I would say he looks thinner than I’ve seen him in the past,” Maddow said. “He looks considerably older and he seems annoyed, resigned, perhaps angry. He seems like an unhappy man to be here. I’m not an expert on body language. This is just my observation.

Watch the full video below:

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