As the world’s media gathered outside the Manhattan courthouse ahead of the opening arguments in Donald Trump‘s hush money trial, one New Yorker summed up the growing mood among many:
‘I don’t give a s***,’ the young woman said, shrugging off questions about what it felt like to be witnessing history.
She had been dragged to the spectacle by a visiting friend from California, for whom the novelty of seeing a former president grilled over an alleged affair with a porn star still fascinates.
While everyone else remains enraptured by the legal wranglings surrounding the world’s biggest showman, the city that never sleeps is growing tired of his ongoing circus – and wishes it would move on to another town.
Monday was the first time a court had heard legal arguments in a criminal trial of a US president – current or former.
But Trump’s appearances at Manhattan courthouses are racking up.
A smattering of protesters turned up outside the downtown Manhattan courthouse on Monday morning ahead of the opening arguments in Donald Trump’s hush money trial
Trump speaks to the media after the first day of opening arguments in his trial at Manhattan Criminal Court for falsifying documents related to hush money payments
Abul Azad, who runs a kiosk on the corner of Centre Street and White Street on the north east side of the courthouse, said sales over the past week had fallen by more than half as customers were blocked off
He has already had judgments go against him in two civil cases in New York – of fraud and sexual assault – and the crowds who had turned up to see him today were nothing compared to those who flocked to his arraignment in April last year.
Last week, the scene in and around 100 Centre Street, the main criminal courts building, was one of chaos.
Prospective jurors were vetted and dismissed into crowds of MAGA supporters and police officers in tactical gear.
On Friday, protester Max Azzarello, 37, died after setting himself on fire in Collect Pond Park, directly outside the courthouse.
Now, fatigue is setting in.
This morning, police comfortably outnumbered the smattering of die-hard protesters.
Nearby businesses bemoaned dwindling sales, as roadblocks stifled foot traffic to hot dog vendors and newsstands.
Abul Azad, who runs a kiosk on the corner of Centre Street and White Street on the north east side of the courthouse, said sales over the past week had fallen by more than half as customers were blocked off.
They’ve seen it all before.
‘I hate to say this, but in New York, it’s not as big a deal,’ said John Costigan, 63, a retired cop who had popped over from his apartment in Battery Park City to see the action unfold.
‘This city is bigger than Trump. I was working up the street when ‘Puff Daddy’ [Sean Combs] was on trial [in 2001, when the rapper was acquitted of toting an illegal handgun into a crowded Manhattan hip-hop club].
‘This is like a little bump in the road here.’
Former President Donald Trump returns to Trump Tower from Manhattan Criminal Court on April 22, 2024 in New York City
John Costigan, a retired New York cop, said the trial was ‘not as big a deal’ to New Yorkers as it was to the rest of the world, as citizens of the Big Apple had seen it all before
“Pray for Trumpy” is written on a sidwalk outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse
Costigan had struck up a conversation with Rodney, 63, and Nicole Cole, 57, a couple on holiday from Australia, who had decided that the commotion at the downtown courthouse was what they wanted to see above all other Big Apple attractions on this fine Spring morning.
They admitted to being ‘underwhelmed’.
Others had also come from far and wide. There was Flo and Alex Stone, from Bristol, England, who had been hoping to catch a glimpse of Trump himself, and a couple from Finland.
Another New Yorker had reluctantly agreed to take her friend from Copenhagen, Denmark, to see the latest installment of New York v. Donald J. Trump.
But the pair left shortly after 9.30am, realizing there was little on show other than a dozen or so media crews, bored-looking cops, and the handful of eccentric protesters.
What had they expected?
Certainly, there was little of the terrifying drama that unfolded here on Friday.
No signs lingered of that horrifying blaze – a light increase in security aside – as the public continued to mingle on the very spot where Azzarello had self-immolated just days before.
Today, the few protesters present were separated into pro and anti-Trump camps.
But there was a touching moment between two lifelong New Yorkers from opposite sides of the political divide, who came together in unity.
Pro-Trump protester Vinny L was one of a dwindling number of protesters who showed up to court Monday as opening arguments were heard
Vinny was joined by Richie S, who admitted he disliked Trump and wished to see him held to account, but the two were able to come together in a show of unity among New Yorkers
Richie S, 73, and Vinny L, 62, [who declined to give surnames] had both made the short boat trip over from Staten Island to the courthouse.
The pair, who did not know each other, conversed amicably despite Richie admitting he ‘hated’ Trump, while Vinny believed the trial was a case of ‘government overreach’.
Last week’s jury selection exposed the deep ruptures in American society – and how difficult it could prove to find a dozen New Yorkers who had not yet formed a definitive opinion on Trump’s guilt or innocence.
But as the Staten Islanders engaged in lively debate over the matter, Richie said he was ‘overwhelmed with joy’ that he had at least been able to have a civil discussion with someone from the other side of the fence.
Does it show that New Yorkers can set aside their prejudices and give the most divisive man in the world a fair trial?
Richie is withholding judgment for now.
‘You just gotta hope that people do the right thing,’ he said.
