Donald Trump “appeared to be asleep” at times during the first day of court proceedings in Manhattan, New York Times reporter and CNN contributor Maggie Haberman told Jake Tapper on Monday.
Jury selection got underway in the case that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has brought against the former president involving hush money payments to adult entertainment star Stormy Daniels.
“I have to ask you, you at the Times have been live blogging this event, and 40 minutes ago you wrote an observation that I was very surprised by,” CNN anchor Jake Tapper said as Haberman joined the network’s special coverage of the trial.
Haberman had posted on the blog that “Trump appears to be sleeping, his head keeps dropping down and his mouth goes slack.”
“Tell us about that,” Tapper said.
“Well, Jake he appeared to be asleep,” Haberman replied bluntly. “Repeatedly his head would fall down.”
The Times reporter added that in other trials including the E. Jean Carroll trial, “where he appeared very still and seemed as if he might be sleeping but then he would move.”
“This time he didn’t pay attention to a note that his lawyer passed him,” Haberman continued. “His jaw kept falling on his chest and his mouth kept going slack. … Sometimes people do fall asleep during court proceedings but it’s notable given the intensity of this morning.”
“That’s rather surprising,” Tapper said, referring to the stakes of this trial.
Haberman: Trump appeared to be asleep. His head would fall down… He didn’t pay attention to a note his lawyer passed him. His jaw kept falling on his chest and his mouth kept going slack. pic.twitter.com/Y9niQfZc3W
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 15, 2024
