Former American President Donald Trump kept handwritten notes in a Manhattan courtroom during the closing arguments of his trial for falsifying business records to buy the silence of former actress Stormy Daniels on Tuesday morning. Camera lenses present in the courtroom captured papers written by hand with Trump, containing comments and responses he repeatedly articulated during the closing arguments.
According to the Metro newspaper, Trump was photographed sitting with his hands folded over two or more sticky yellow notes; a large portion of the first note was clear and legible, including a phrase he seemed to write to remember, which he indeed repeated many times during the trial session: "The judge should dismiss this case."
Trump's trial entered a critical phase starting Tuesday, with the closing arguments preceding the jury's deliberations regarding the potential issuance of the first criminal conviction against a former American president. This comes months before the presidential election, which could allow the wealthy Republican to return to the White House at the expense of current Democratic President Joe Biden, whom he defeated in the 2020 elections.
Trump is accused of falsifying business records to buy the silence of former actress Stormy Daniels. If convicted, he faces a sentence of up to four years for each of the 34 charges, but legal experts suggest he is unlikely to be imprisoned as a first-time offender. A conviction will not prevent Trump from running in November as a competitor against Democratic President Joe Biden. The trial lasted about five weeks, featuring testimonies from over 20 witnesses and several courtroom disputes leading up to the closing arguments, marking the last opportunity for both prosecution and defense to persuade the anonymous 12-member jury.
