Week three of the hush money trial concluded this afternoon with a big dramatic scene by former aide to Donald Trump, Hope Hicks, who burst into tears on the stand and was given a recess in order to calm herself. Hicks is well known as a Trump loyalist. Hicks was languishing in obscurity in a private public relations firm before the Trump family hired her and catapulted her into the spotlight.
Today she said some incriminating things about Donald Trump, mainly revealing the fact that he had told a transparent lie about Michael Cohen, saying that Cohen had paid $130,000 to Stormy Daniels “out of the goodness of his heart.” In point of fact, Trump may believe that somebody would do that for two reasons: 1. In Trump world, where the value of a dollar is not understood at all, he may believe that people have that kind of money to throw around; and 2. Trump thinks he’s so completely wonderful that one of his minions should be delighted to help him out that way.
In any event, it didn’t go down that way. Cohen did not give anybody that kind of money for altruistic reasons. Trump looked like a liar and/or a fool, which is right on point. What Hicks did by telling the truth about Trump was to make him look bad, which she knew would happen. And that set the scene for the public break up which followed.
After Hope Hicks sobbed on the stand about how much Trump loves Melania, Alexis Carrington commented, "C+ for fake tears, D- for convenient memory lapses, A+ for great hair" pic.twitter.com/8zyDu0l4d9
— Paul Rudnick (@PaulRudnickNY) May 3, 2024
Hope knows she’s sending Trump to prison. 🍿
— Art Candee 🍿🥤 (@ArtCandee) May 3, 2024
Lawrence O’Donnell describes the non interaction between Trump and Hicks and it sounds like there was a wall of ice between them. Hicks may have been regarded as Trump’s “surrogate daughter” at one point but the daughter looks to have left the nest today.
It sounds like there was tension in the courtroom, with Lawrence describing how Hope Hicks seemed to deliberately avoid looking at Donald Trump. Body language can often reveal a lot about the dynamics between individuals, especially in high-stress situations like a courtroom.
— Station 24 (@VidsStation24) May 3, 2024
Now you heard that Trump deliberately was busy with other things and didn’t acknowledge Hicks. That’s to be expected. He was “betrayed” meaning that she told the truth. Trump, being Trump, expected her to perjure herself. Not that he would ever commit perjury to help anybody, probably not even his beloved daughter Ivanka, but he expects everybody else to do it for him.
I think Trump was steaming inside. Outside the courtroom, when a reporter asked him what it was like to see Hope Hicks, he tersely said, “I’m under a gag order.” Good thing to remember, Donald. Maybe this is a turning point in this trial, if not in Trump’s life. Maybe he now gets to realize that he simply can’t vent at will about whatever’s going on in his head right that moment.
Trump’s gag order comment is telling. He wanted to explode and I don’t see a chance in hell he will able to contain himself over the weekend. It will be I think a quite spectacular show. Authorities would do well to issue a travel advisory to stay WAY the hell away from Trump’s location in the next couple of days. In checking in on news of the trial I heard the last time the two had spoken to each other was back in 2022. Maybe that was long enough for her parents who once thought they’d rescued her from Trump World (she did leave for a bit but to their dismay went back) to have her deprogrammed from the MAGA cult. There ARE actually people who specialize in deprogramming folks who get caught up in cults. I don’t have a whole lot of sympathy for Hicks. She might not have realized what she was getting into when she went to work for Jarvanka. But by the time she switched to full time for Trump himself she had to know what he was.
Maybe they can team up with Marla Maples (who is devastated over Tiffany having gone over to the Dark Side) to create a special support group for families who see loved ones fall under Trump’s/MAGA’s spell.
Hope gives up Trump, but will Trump give up hope?
Nah. He’s too delusional for that.
Trump dashed Hicks hope