Mocking the trial and claiming that Trump is being politically persecuted

Responding to the hush money trial, former Trump strategist and far-right podcaster Steve Bannon said that “the entire country has crossed the Rubicon,” adding, “It is incumbent upon MAGA to now save the nation.”

“Today, actually, was worse than I expected,” Bannon said. “It’s quite evident that it’s impossible for President Trump to get a fair trial. … They are not interested in a fair trial, they are interested in a show trial.” (Bannon will face the same judge and jury pool in May for allegedly defrauding donors in his “We Build the Wall” financial scheme.)

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk said on his radio show that it is “hilarious” that Trump appeared to be sleeping during his trial. “That’s exactly how all of us would act in, like, the Intro to Gender Studies class at the University of Missouri.”

Newsmax host Greg Kelly said, “Did Donald Trump nod off for a moment? Good for him. These things are boring.” 

Right-wing lawyer Mike Davis appeared on far-right troll and neo-Nazi collaborator Jack Posobiec’s show to discuss the trial, calling it “lawfare.”

“This is not going to end well for Democrats,” Davis said. “It’s going to make President Trump [into] Nelson Mandela. It’s going to put President Trump back in the White House.”

Daily Wire host Ben Shapiro agreed with Donald Trump’s comment that the trial is an “an assault on the country.” Shapiro agreed, saying, “To be fair to him, it kind of is. This is a very stupid case.”

Responding to a post claiming that Trump has to be present in court during his trial, right-wing YouTuber Tim Pool wrote “lol they are cheating.”

While interviewing Trump lawyer Alina Habba, right-wing media figure Benny Johnson described the jury pool as “ratchet,” comparing them to jury members in the late O.J. Simpson’s 1994 murder trial.

Newsmax host Eric Bolling described the trial as a “sham case” and “insane.”

Bolling also blamed President Joe Biden for Trump's trial, saying, “America isn't blind, Joe, we know exactly what you're up to.” 

Attacking Judge Juan Merchan and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg

Others in the former president’s orbit repeated his attacks on the judge, including false claims that Merchan has decided not to allow Trump to attend his son Barron’s high school graduation. (The judge has not yet ruled whether Trump will be allowed to attend the ceremony, reportdly saying that it “depends on if we are on time and where we are in the trial.”)  

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Eric Trump wrote that Merchan is “truly heartless in not letting a father attend his son’s graduation.”

Podcaster Donald Trump Jr. reshared a Posobiec post repeating the false claim that Trump cannot attend his youngest son’s graduation and wrote that Merchan is “pure evil.”

Additionally, Trump Jr. suggested that Bragg’s case “ isn't about getting justice or defending the rule of law, it's simply about targeting Joe Biden's political opponent.”

On his Rumble show, Trump Jr. also described the trial as a “baseless sham,” purported that Bragg is “a Soros-funded Democrat” and “a leftist hack,” and claimed that Merchan “is corrupt beyond belief.”

Trump ally and anti-Muslim activist Laura Loomer described Merchan as an “asshole” and repeatedly called for Trump to be sent to jail in an effort to fundraise off the trial.

Johnson said that Merchan’s daughter has a “fetish to put Trump in prison,” making a fair trial impossible. 

On X, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton shared a Trump post from Truth Social attacking the judge and calling the trial “Election Interference.” Fitton wrote, “Judge Merchan is abusing Trump's civil rights and our elections.”