After more than a year of anticipation leading up to

We got a glimpse of Mr Trump’s courtroom demeanour in a criminal trial. The prosecution’s case finally crystallised around a grand theory of election interference as key witnesses laid the groundwork.

And flashes of tension may have opened a rift between Judge Juan Merchan and Mr Trump’s lead attorney.

Something that became immediately clear in court is that this trial will be an endurance test, perhaps for Mr Trump most of all.

For the last year, the 77-year-old has actively campaigned for president during cases where he wasn’t required to be present. Now, he must appear in court each day of this trial. That means Mr Trump will sit for hours at the defence table.

The former president appears thinner – he told Fox News in January that he lost weight – and his stride varies. At times, he moves slower, and at others, he confidently strides into courtroom – the same one where he sat a year ago for his arraignment pleading not guilty to all 34 felony charges.

Also unlike previous civil trials, when Mr Trump made audible comments from the defence table and argued with judges, he has been far more compliant.

Read Original Article