Judge Tells Trump He Has "Absolute Right to Testify"

[Pototan]

As I predicted this morning, Judge Merchan informed defendant Donald Trump that he has an "Absolute right to testify".

NEW YORK, May 3 (Reuters) - The judge overseeing Donald Trump's hush money criminal trial said on Friday that a gag order preventing him from commenting about witnesses and jurors does not bar him from testifying in court on his own behalf.

“I want to stress to Mr. Trump: you have an absolute right to testify at trial,” Justice Juan Merchan said to start the 11th day in Trump's hush money trial.


https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-trial-hears-michael-cohen-was-despondent-he-was-denied-government-post-2024-05-03/

[MOMFUDSKI]

1. Did he add

“So STFU now”?

[lark]

2. He should have double dog dared tsf to testify.

Shame him into getting in front of the jury where he would 100% incriminate himself.

[orangecrush]

3. I think he did

[riversedge]

13. I think the judge would love to have Trump testify. It would be one less thing for Trump to cry about-but

knowing Trump --he soon-he might give it a day or two--will be lying to his rally folks that the gag order is preventing him from testifying.

[Pinback]

32. Exactly -- "but are you man enough?"

[keithbvadu2]

4. it is impossible to fall into a perjury trap if you tell the truth.

Of course he does not want to testify.

He is afraid of a perjury trap.

it is impossible to fall into a perjury trap if you tell the truth.

Donald's lawyers have legitimate reason to fear.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

27. I honestly doubt he's concerned about a perjury trap.

Anything and everything he says, he believes. At least when he says it he believes. He simply has no clue about what's real or true and what is not. Although he does think that anything and everything other people say about him are lies.

He's attorneys are probably concerned, but that's why they're being paid the big bucks. If they're being paid.

[sop]

30. "Just remember...It's not a lie...if you believe it"

[NanaCat]

34. It's worse than you lay out here

He knows that most of what he says isn't true, and he doesn't care in the least about it. All he cares about is that what he says lets him 'win' or makes him superior to everyone else in the moment.

So it's not about what he believes or a lack of awareness about reality. That's a normal person explanation, an he's not normal. We have to stop thinking that we can apply the standards of normal people to him, because he isn't normal. Normal standards don't apply to him at all.

What's really going on is that he expects people to believe whatever he says, no matter what comes out of his mouth, and we can never question it. Even if it contradicts what he said two seconds ago--nobody can doubt his authoritah. He's always right, never wrong, and we lowly peons (everyone not him) are never to doubt or question him, for one nanosecond.

So erase from your mind the notion that he doesn't know what reality is. He does know, but he's determined to make reality do what he wants, at any and all cost, to feed his megalomania. Even if it means lying to get that.

[ShazzieB]

39. I have thought this for a while now.

Anything and everything he says, he believes. At least when he says it he believes. He simply has no clue about what's real or true and what is not.

I agree. I don't think he has the same concept of reality/nonreality as a "normal" person. Reality to him is whatever he wants it to be. Anything that runs counter to what he wants is rejected as being "rigged," "fake news," somebody else's fault, or just the world being against him.

In his mind, he can't make a mistake or do anything wrong, so anyone who says otherwise must be lying, crazy, or biased against him. It must be exhausting to maintain such a distorted view of the world in the face of constant evidence to the contrary, but it's such an ingrained habit with him that I don't think he even knows he's doing it.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

42. You worded it much better than I did.

Thank you.

[relayerbob]

37. They only fear he won't pay them

[Doodley]

5. He should ask if he wants to testify. Wait for answer, then say he needs to tell his lawyers. Trump would be humilated.

If Trump says yes, he's boxing himself into testifying. If he says no, he will look like a fool every time he says he isn't allowed to.

[Emile]

7. +1

[Beachnutt]

9. ++1

Ask him Judge.

[Patton French]

6. Good call, Pototan.

I was one who doubted the judge would handle it this way, and clearly was wrong. Convention goes totally out the window with this/the defendant.

[rpannier]

8. It's a hush money trial. If he were smart

he'd heed that 1st word and hush

[KS Toronado]

11. First he would need a Stable Genius brain to engage

[AZ8theist]

25. I get your point, but it's an Election Interference trial.

It's not a crime to pay off a porn star to keep quiet about cheating on your wife.
It's a crime to cover it up, falsify records and interfere with an election by doing so.......

That being said, we will ALL REJOICE the day that treasonous pig is shut up for good.

[Hope22]

31. LOL!

😂

[ArkansasDemocrat1]

10. Testify Donny, testify!

[link:?1713483520|

[livetohike]

12. Trump has no conscience so he'll take the oath on

the Bible and lie as he usually does. Would love to see him squirm though.

[soldierant]

40. I would not put it past him to try to take the oath

on what the ancient Romans used to swear on. NNot that he has enough education to know what that was.

(Hint: it's where we get the word "testify.&quot

[nevergiveup]

14. Spell it "T - E - S - T - I - F - Y"

"WE-WANT-YOU-TO-TESTIFY" Spread this chant throughout the country or for that matter throughout the world and the universe. Everyone will know what it means.

[speak easy]

29. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Only you, Donald, can 'tell it like it is'. Only you Donald can Truth the jury. After all, you know more law than your attorneys and the entire Supreme Court put together.

[gulliver]

15. Trump's (probably intentional) lie was very effective

His unintelligent followers think a "gag order" means Trump is forced to shut up about everything and not defend himself. His intelligent followers like the unintelligent followers to think that, the better to assist with the MAGA mugging attempt we face in November. Trump probably got a contribution bump from the lie, and no one cares that it's a lie.

[whopis01]

23. Not to be a PITA - but a small quibble about your grammar

The phrase "His unintelligent followers" is redundant and could be written as "His followers".

(couldn't resist)

But in all seriousness - you are right. It is terrifying how many people there that will take whatever he says at face value - or really even attribute more weight to it than that.

[Diraven]

35. Ten bucks says

He'll come out and tell the same lie again anyway in his daily after court press conference/whine-fest

[onenote]

43. Hopefully you didn't need that ten bucks

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2024/05/03/trump-admits-gag-order-doesnt-stop-him-from-testifying-after-judge-corrects-him/?sh=4bd12d4d2537

[barbtries]

16. Trump knows that.

he's just propagandizing for the cameras. the dumbing down of america is what's called, I think, a fait accompli

[Comfortably_Numb]

17. Dookie Donnie is consulting with that paragon of legal thinking, Boris Epshteyn. What could go wrong?

Good ol Boris, unindicted co~conspirator X….

[riversedge]

18. The 12 jurors and six alternates hearing the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president have yet to hear from the m

Today=Friday will be a short day as one juror will be absent this afternoon

...........Witnesses on Friday were expected to offer more details of a hush money payment to a porn star that prevented voters in the 2016 election from learning about a sexual encounter she alleged to have had with the then-Republican presidential candidate.


The 12 jurors and six alternates hearing the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president have yet to hear from the main players in the case.


These include Stormy Daniels, the porn star who got $130,000 to keep quiet about the alleged sexual liaison, and Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who arranged the payment in the weeks before Trump's 2016 victory.

[PortTack]

19. Now that tsf has said he doesn't want to testify....he's going to twist it into the judge telling him he has to testify

[LetMyPeopleVote]

20. There is no way that TFG will take the stand

[republianmushroom]

21. I'm willing to bet trumps attorneys pucker factor rose several notches.

Ok, trump the ball is in your court, do you walk the walk, you do talk the talk. We shall see.

[Uncle Joe]

22. Not without creating a fire hazard via spontaneous human combustion

Thanks for the thread Pototan

[Martin68]

24. Judge gives him the bait. Will he take it? I hope so.

[Kingofalldems]

26. "Mr. Trump"

Guaranteed Trump did not like that little jab.

[JoseBalow]

33. He's very sensitive about his pronouns

[niyad]

38. Not a pronoun, it is an honorific.

[The_REAL_Ecumenist]

28. Go on, Stupid, d J, (for Jenious[His ACTUAL comment!]) trump. Clearly you've NEVER heard the adage that goes a little

like this: "e a man who is his own lawyer has a fool for his client!" That idiot THINKS that he's the smartest moron in the room...This ought to be entertaining, hilarious AND karmic. Go JENIOUS go! You can do it, ie, you can f*ck yourself exponentially making your situationship with Lady Karma EVEN worse and Chile, I'm here for it! LOL!

[JohnnyRingo]

36. The kind of detail that dies on Fox News.

Trump's people will likely go on thinking it's a kangaroo court and their hero has a dirty sock stuffed in his mouth.

[elleng]

41. Too bad he can't speak TRUTH!!!