Lawrence O’Donnell Interprets Why Trump Glared ‘Directly’ At Him In Court
Lawrence O’Donnell on Thursday evening analyzed why Donald Trump seemed to look right at him on his way out of criminal court earlier that day.
Multiple journalists reported that the former president stared at the MSNBC host as he exited the Manhattan courtroom where his hush money trial is taking place.
The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman said Trump was “squinting strangely” at O’Donnell. MSNBC contributor Adam Klasfeld said Trump turned his head “directly” toward O’Donnell, glowered and muttered under his breath.
“It seems Donald Trump wasn’t really pleased to see me,” O’Donnell, who was seated at the front of the gallery, told viewers on “The Last Word.”
“I have my interpretation of what Donald Trump’s face and eyes were trying to say to me, and what drove him to create a final moment in the courtroom today that was worthy of New York Times reporting,” he added.
He noted that Trump’s close adviser, Boris Epshteyn, was “sitting in the front row reserved for the Trump family members, who did not show up once again” — right in front of O’Donnell’s own seat.
“He should have told Donald Trump, ‘When you walk by O’Donnell, don’t give him the satisfaction of making a moment about him,’” he said.
“But defendants like Donald Trump always make mistakes in courtrooms — and mistakes are what has landed Donald Trump in criminal courtrooms.”
Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in an alleged attempt to mask payments intended to influence the 2016 election. Prosecutors say he participated in a “catch and kill” scheme to bury potentially damaging stories before the vote, including the one at the heart of the case, an alleged extramarital affair with porn star Stormy Daniels.
