We have Danny Saalo Stanny, NBC News legal analyst, joining us this morning. Laura has laid out all the details, so how would you summarize the former president’s time on the stand? It has been quite chaotic, reminiscent of being in court where unexpected testimonies can often entertain the onlookers but not the participants or the judge.
Trump seems to have taken matters into his own hands, believing that the judge will rule against him regardless of what he does. He sees this as an opportunity to grandstand and knows that his words will be reported, potentially benefiting him politically but not legally. Considering Trump’s approach of taking matters into his own hands, what do you make of the defense strategy, both from the former president himself and his team? There’s the defense attorney’s strategy based on the law, and then there’s Trump’s strategy based on who knows what – possibly political or chaos-driven. Trump is the classic client who doesn’t follow attorney’s advice, something that is expected when representing Donald Trump.
It wouldn’t be surprising if his attorneys don’t even advise him to behave properly on or off the stand. Trump has his own plan, and attorneys can only try to present the case they want while hoping Trump doesn’t derail it too much with his own ideas.
This trial is expected to conclude just before Christmas, and Trump wasn’t cross-examined yesterday. Is there a chance he takes the stand again, and what else should we be on the lookout for in the coming weeks? There is a possibility that he may take the stand again, perhaps during rebuttal.
We should also keep an eye out for Ivanka Trump and other witnesses who may not make as many headlines but could be crucial. For instance, an expert witness testified last week about the valuation and alleged falsification of values, which provides compelling evidence for the judge (there is no jury in this case). While this week’s testimonies by Trump’s sons and himself are attention-grabbing, it may be the last time we see Donald Trump on the stand in any of these cases since this is a civil case and he has no obligation to testify in his criminal cases.
It would also be against the advice of his attorneys, but as we know with Donald Trump, he does things his own way. Thank you, Danny, for your insights. Stay updated with breaking news and top stories on the NBC News app or follow us on social media..
