Trump called his lawyer a ‘little f***er’ after judge set trial during the 2024 primaries – and said the attorney would ‘cost’ him the presidential race, according to new book
- Book by ABC’s Jonathan Karl describes Trump exploding at lawyer Todd Blanche
- Trump is described as fuming in 30-minute tirade after learning trial date
Former President Donald Trump exploded at a member of his own legal team when he first learned a New York trial centered around hush payments to a porn star would interrupt the presidential primaries, according to a new book.
The seemingly adverse decision sent Trump into a frenzy, according to a new book by Jonathan Karl of ABC News.
‘That’s in the middle of the primaries! If I lose the presidency, you are going to be the reason!’ Trump screamed to his attorney, Todd Blanche, according to the book.
The reported outburst, excerpted in the Atlantic, came before Trump settled on a strategy of turning four criminal trials to his advantage, and experienced a steady rise in Republican presidential polls even while getting his mugshot taken in Fulton County, Georgia and facing a total of 91 criminal charges.
Trump ‘reacted angrily’ to a judge’s decision about the trial, according to the book
But at the time, the former president vented in a 30-minute tantrum, according to a source.
According to Karl, who interviewed Trump for his prior book, ‘Betrayal,’ the drama came as the contours of the case, hush payments to former porn star Stormy Daniels, were still being settled.
‘The trial date for the hush‐money case was later set during a hearing with Judge [Juan] Merchan where Trump appeared via video from a room in Mar‐a‐Lago,’ he writes in the excerpt from his new book, ‘Tired of Winning: Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party.’
‘For most of the appearance, Trump silently listened, his microphone on mute. But when the judge announced the court date—March 25, 2024—he reacted angrily, waving his hands and shaking his head,’ according to the book.
Trump tore into his respected attorney Todd Blanche, according to the account
The trial on charges of falsifying business records brought a trial date amid the GOP presidential primaries
Trump has denied having an affair with porn star Stormy Daniels
Trump brought on Blanche, a former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, this spring as he prepared to take on a slew of legal challenges and prepared for his first hearing following his first criminal indictment. He is an experienced white collar defense lawyer who had represented such figures as Igor Fruman, a figure in Trump’s first impeachment.
‘No one in the courtroom could hear him, but he appeared to be yelling at the lawyer sitting next to him in Mar-a-Lago, Todd Blanche. According to a source there with Trump, the former president erupted at Blanche because the March 2024 trial would be during a crucial point in the presidential campaign.’
Trump’s campaign directly disputed the account.
‘None of what is being described ever happened. The uninformed source could not even get their lie straight,’ a Trump spokesperson told DailyMail.com in a statement.
‘The trial date was already set earlier in consultation with President Trump, his legal team, and his campaign. There would be no reason to be upset at the trial date that everyone had agreed upon. President Trump and Mr. Blanche are united in fighting these unlawful witch-hunts and the weaponization of the justice system,’ the spokesperson added.
The account traces a difficult period for Trump, when he was on the verge of arrest and went after DA Alvin Bragg, calling him a ‘Racist in Reverse’ and ‘degenerate psychopath’.
That would become months before Trump would face gag orders in two other cases, a civil case in New York and a January 6 related federal case in Washington, DC.
Trump was already eyeing the political calendar. It would only be after his indictment in the DC case that Judge Merchan would express openness to moving it.
Trump’s legal team could still prevail in asking yet another judge, Aileen Cannon, to delay his separate criminal indictment in Fulton County, Georgia. His team wants judge Cannon, who Trump appointed, to delay the case due to the challenges of viewing classified documents, which Trump is accused of possessing in Mar-a-Lago despite national security laws.
Trump is accused of falsifying business records relating to hush payments to former porn star Stormy Daniels. He denies the charges and has called all of the prosecutions of him part of a witch hunt.
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