Several allies of former President Donald Trump have shown up at the Manhattan courthouse to support him while he’s on trial.
Attendees at Trump’s hush-money trial have so far included the Republican House Speaker, several members of Congress, state attorneys general, and two of Trump’s former presidential primary opponents. Notably absent is Melania Trump, the former First Lady, who is yet to appear in the courthouse.
The politicians rallying behind Trump used their presence at the courtroom to attack witness testimony, since the former President is barred from publicly commenting on key figures in the trial. Trump is currently facing trial on 34 felony counts over allegations that he falsified business records to conceal a hush-money payment to an adult film actress before the 2016 election. Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen testified on Monday that Trump personally approved the hush-money reimbursement plan central to the criminal allegations.
The display of support from Trump’s allies is expected to continue throughout the trial, with more political figures vowing to join him in court soon. For many, the courthouse provides a stage to amplify their loyalty to Trump and gain exposure amid the media frenzy surrounding the historic trial.
“We have a lot of them that want to come,” Trump told reporters on Monday. “I say just stay back and pass lots of laws to stop things like this.”
Here’s a look at who has come to Trump’s side at the trial.
House Speaker Mike Johnson
House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday became the highest ranking Republican to accompany Trump at his criminal trial, blasting the proceedings as a sham. “These are politically motivated trials and they are a disgrace. It is election interference,” the Louisiana Republican told reporters in the park outside the Manhattan courthouse.
He claimed Democrats are keeping Trump off the 2024 campaign trail, and criticized Cohen, the prosecution’s key witness. “This is a man who is clearly on a mission for personal revenge, and who is widely known as a witness who has trouble with the truth,” Johnson said.
His visit to the courthouse comes just a week after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, unsuccessfully attempted to oust him as Speaker, in part because he refused to agree to defund special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump.
Vivek Ramaswamy
Former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy also attended the trial on Tuesday, as he may be angling for a spot in Trump’s cabinet. He has long been considered a contender to be Trump’s Vice President in a potential second term. Ramaswamy called the trial “an insult to American democracy” on social media.
Eric and Lara Trump
Trump’s son Eric is the only Trump family member to attend the trial regularly. His wife, Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump, was also in attendance on Tuesday, roughly two months after she was elected co-chair after being endorsed by her father-in-law.
Florida Sen. Rick Scott
Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who is running for reelection in November, on May 9 became the first high-profile Trump ally to accompany him in the Manhattan courtroom. He drove with Trump from Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue down to the courthouse and sat in the front row while the defense questioned adult film star Stormy Daniels, one of the key witnesses in the case.
“I’m here because I have known Donald Trump a long time,” Scott said. “I knew him before I was governor. I consider him a friend. And what he is going through is just despicable.”
Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance
Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, widely seen as a vice presidential contender, was part of the group that arrived at court with Trump on Monday and stood behind him as he addressed reporters before entering the courtroom.
“Every single person involved in this prosecution is practically a Democratic political operative,” Vance told reporters outside the courthouse, adding that it was a “disgrace” Trump could not say so himself because of a gag order. Vance, once a harsh critic of the former President, previously said he “can’t stomach Trump” but is now a close ally and will appear with him at an Ohio fundraiser on Wednesday.
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville
Sen. Tommy Tuberville attended the trial on Monday, telling reporters that the Manhattan courtroom was “the most depressing thing I’ve ever been in.”
“First of all, I’m disappointed in the courtroom. I’m hearing, ‘Mr. Trump, Mr. Trump.’ He is ‘former President Trump,’” the Alabama Republican said outside. “Give him some respect. I mean, that’s what that place is in there. It is no respect. Here is what I’m seeing, too. It is depressing. That courtroom is depressing. This is New York City. The icon of our country. And we got a courtroom that is the most depressing thing I’ve ever been in.”
Tuberville also criticized Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, saying that he enters the courtroom and “acts like it is his Super Bowl.”
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who is also reportedly on Trump’s shortlist for vice presidential picks, appeared in the Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday alongside the former President. He endorsed Trump in January after dropping his own Republican presidential bid, calling Trump a “friend” and “partner.”
He has previously criticized Trump: in July, Burgum said that he would not do business with him, stating “you’re judged by the company you keep.”
Reps. Byron Donalds, Nicole Malliotakis, and Cory Mills
In addition to Speaker Johnson, three House Republicans have stopped by the Manhattan courthouse: Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, and Florida Rep. Cory Mills. Donalds is considered a possible vice presidential contender.
Attorneys General of Alabama and Iowa
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall both attended Trump’s trial on Monday, sitting near the front of the courtroom. When Trump won the Iowa caucuses, he told the crowd in his victory speech that Bird is “going to be your governor someday.”
Absent: Melania Trump
About a month into the trial, Melania Trump is yet to appear in the courtroom or on the campaign trail with her husband.
As Cohen took the stand on Monday, he testified that Trump told him it was Melania who came up with the infamous “locker room talk” defense when an Access Hollywood tape was revealed in October 2016 in which Trump was heard boasting that “when you’re a star” you can “do anything” to women, including “grab them by the p—-.”
Cohen also stated in his testimony that Trump didn’t care about how his wife would react to his alleged affair with Stormy Daniels, and was mostly thinking about his campaign. (Trump denies having a sexual encounter with Daniels.)
The post A List of Trump’s Allies Coming to Support Him at His Trial appeared first on TIME.
