Facing a trial this week in a New York federal court stemming from allegations by writer E. Jean Carroll of defamation, former President Donald Trump was threatened with removal from the courtroom on Wednesday as his commentary during proceedings threatened further disruptions. Earlier, a lawyer for Carroll had raised concerns about jurors potentially hearing Trump’s remarks, which threatened to substantially upend the strictly controlled proceedings.
Kaplan addressed Trump’s characteristic, ongoing commentary at that earlier point. “I’m just going to ask that Mr. Trump take special care to keep his voice down when he’s conferring with counsel so that the jury does not overhear it,” he said, per journalist Erica Orden. But the problem returned.
“Mr. Trump has the right to be present here. That right can be forfeited,” the judge said, adding: “Mr. Trump, I hope I don’t have to consider excluding you from the trial.”
The frayed relationship between the judge and Trump’s team mirrors much of what transpired during trial proceedings in a fraud case brought against Trump and others close to him by New York state Attorney General Letitia James. Arthur Engoron, the state judge handling those proceedings, issued a series of gag orders blocking commentary from both Trump and lawyers on his team that variously involved members of court staff, with a focus on a clerk for the judge who Trump had antagonized publicly.
Among the concerns was that serious threats could have followed Trump’s rhetoric, considering the precedent of such a progression and that the ex-president literally posted a link to a social media profile evidently belonging to the clerk, clearly teeing up potential problems.
And Trump’s general tone of antagonism is also consistent. Who can forget his endless interruptions during a general election debate with Joe Biden amid the 2020 presidential race? Trump’s interruptions became debilitating to the sensible progression of the discussion.
The trial in New York is dealing only with potential financial penalties on Trump after liability around Carroll’s allegations was already established.
