Live updates: Judge Merchan holds gag order hearing in Trump’s hush money trial

Judge Merchan is considering four additional alleged gag order violations by Trump the prosecution has submitted for review. In response, the defence team submitted close to 500 pages of exhibits to defend Trump on the violations…

Alex Woodward reports from the courthouse:

Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy says prosecutors are taking aim at Trump’s “persistent” rhetoric aimed at undermining the case.

Trump has “already been found to violate the order nine times, and he’s done it again here,” he says before going through the four allegations.

His attorneys had argued a “contrived justification” of the statements about the jury, saying that they were speaking to the media anyway.

Trump’s statement “amplifies it and creates an air of menace that is substantially different from a media report,” he said.

Those remarks could put the trial in “jeopardy.”

“That is what the order forbids, and he did it anyway,” Conroy says.

Regarding Trump’s statement about David Pecker:

“The defendant knows what he’s doing. The defendant talks about the testifying witness, says nice things and does it in front of the camera,” Conroy says.

Trump ignored other questions and “selectively” responded to this one.

It’s “deliberate and calculated,” Conroy says. “Pecker, be nice. Anyone else hearing this, I have a platform. … [The statements are] deliberate shots across the bow to anyone who will come into this courtroom to talk about the defendant and talk about what he did.”

Trump’s eyes have been closed the whole time Conroy has been speaking.

Trump is “doing everything he can to make this case about politics, it’s not,” Conroy says.

His statements are “corrosive to this proceeding and to the fair administration of justice.”

Per the court pool report:

Trump came into the 15th floor hallway at 9:14

Jason Miller gave your poolers a 5-minute heads-up, which was helpful and he should continue doing.

Trump bragged about yesterday’s rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin. Said interest rates would not go down before the election. Talked about Inflation.

Said case could have been brought 8 years ago. “They have no case” he said several times. Said judge is “conflicted.”

Commented on college campuses.

“I’m so proud of New York’s finest.” Praised police at Columbia and UCLA. Blamed “radical left lunatics.” “The right is not your problem,” he said.

He’s wearing a bright gold toe with his navy suit. Stood next to Todd Blanche in a wide-stance power pose.

Did not answer questions about plans for Gaza, what a fair election would look like.

Alex Woodward is reporting for The Independent from the courthouse:

Trump defence lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove are both wearing identical dark navy suits and dark ties. Trump has on a gold tie and Susan Necheles is wearing a gold top. Everyone’s coordinated today.

Trump was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed moments before the photo pool got to the defence table. When they turned the corner towards him he perked up and assumed his position — stern, leaning forward, hands folded in front of him.

Neither JD Vance nor Kristi Noem exactly cover themselves in glory here but bravo to Kaitlan Collins for this deliciously dastardly trap, into which the Ohio senator blundered like a hapless bear.

During his first rally yesterday in Wisconsin, Donald Trump invited Milwaukee business owner Shana Gray on stage and talked about how her business, a vegan cafe, did better during his presidency.

The slight catch, as noted by Jeramey Jannene of Urban Milwaukee, is that her business didn’t open until 2023 — two years into the Biden administration.

But that’s not where the story ends…

You can see the Manhattan DA’s latest filing on the four more potential gag order violations Judge Merchan will consider today here.

And you can see the evidence his team cites here.

Our man just landed an approximate $1.8bn stock bonus from Trump Media & Technology, the parent company of Truth Social, providing a shiny silver lining to a week that would otherwise be filled with hours of dreary court case proceedings.

Amelia Neath has more on this cosy little windfall.

The Republican’s campaign is complaining about the Commission on Presidential Debates’ “unacceptable” decision to stick to its schedule – rather than changing its plans to suit the whims of the former commander-in-chief.

The comission has scheduled the first debate for 16 September at Texas State University in San Marcos, with a vice presidential debate then slated for 25 September at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.

Another two presidential debates are scheduled to go ahead the following month in Virginia and Utah.

The commission released its schedule in late November, close to a year before the 2024 election, and has rejected requests from the Trump campaign to bring forward debates to earlier in the year.

Gustaf Kilander has more.

You can watch a livestream from Manhattan via the link below.