Donald Trump’s campaign sent out a fundraising email bragging that the former president “stormed out” of court proceedings on Monday, despite the fact that he did not do so.
Trump is set to become the first former U.S. president to face trial for criminal charges, as jury selection began Monday in the trial into whether the former president broke the law by making an alleged hush money payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump with falsifying business documents after a grand jury issued a 34-count indictment against him related to the payment, which his office alleged was meant to prevent Daniels from speaking publicly about her claims of having an affair with Trump.
Trump, who secured enough delegates to become the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, denied ever having an affair with Daniels. He has pleaded not guilty to all 34 charges and maintains his innocence in each of his criminal cases. He has accused Bragg of targeting him for political purposes, describing the trial as a form of election interference.
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On Tuesday, the Trump campaign sought to capitalize on the trial, which has enraged his supporters who largely back his claims that he has been unjustly targeted by the justice system. They sent a fundraising email claiming he “stormed out” of the trial.
“I STORMED OUT OF BIDEN’S KANGAROO COURT YESTERDAY! What I’ve been FORCED to endure would make any patriotic American SICK,” the email reads.
However, Trump did not actually storm out of court during jury selection on Monday, though he has done so during other court appearances in the past, including during his civil business fraud trial in October and January. It remained unclear whether the email was referring to a separate moment in the courtroom.
The email asked Trump supporters to donate to his campaign before he gets “dragged back into court,” adding that only their support can get him “through these DARK DAYS.”
It was sent by the Trump National Committee, a joint fundraising account between the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC).
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s campaign for comment via email.
Some critics noted on social media that Trump did not storm out of court. According to a report from The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman, Trump appeared to be sleeping during proceedings on Monday. In the publications’ liveblog, she wrote that his “head keeps dropping down and his mouth goes slack.”
“Trump, who is currently sleeping in his trial, is also fundraising about how he stormed out of it,” Jennifer Bendery, a senior politics reporter for The Huffington Post, wrote in a post to X (formerly Twitter).
“Another lie that never happened. Sleepy Don has to portray himself as a fake tough guy to the cult, when all he did is sit there quietly, fell asleep twice, then left when it was over to whine and cry,” wrote Ron Filipkowski, an attorney and editor-in-chief of MeidasTouch, sharing a similar fundraising email that included the same claim Monday evening.,
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