The most consequential moment of Tuesday’s trial proceedingshappened just minutes after court began, when the judge held Donald Trump in criminal contempt over his social media posts and warned the former president that future violations could land him in jail.
Hours after New York state Judge Juan Merchan said he had violated the order’s prohibition against attacks on witnesses and jurors, Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, took to his Truth Social platform to call the trial “RIGGED” while attacking Merchan and vowing he would not stay quiet about the case.
When jurors returned to the courtroom, the focus was on the witness stand. The jury heard from four witnesses, including an attorney who helped broker the hush money agreements involving two women who alleged they had affairs with Trump. He has denied their claims.
