Jon Stewart, Jimmy Kimmel bash Trump for appearing to sleep at hush money trial

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By Shannon Thaler

Former President Donald Trump appeared to fall asleep during jury selection on the first day of his hush money trial in Manhattan on Monday, and Jon Stewart had a lot of fun with it on his episode of the “Daily Show” later that night.

“After years of anticipation, the first criminal trial of a former president has begun,” Stewart, 61, sarcastically began his rant about the trial, where Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal an alleged worth six figures. of payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels to cover up an extramarital affair before the 2016 election.

“And by all indications, it’s absolutely fascinating,” Stewart added before cutting to a clip from CNN’s trial coverage, where Jake Tapper asked journalist Maggie Haberman about her previous report that Trump had been sleeping during the selection. of the jury.

“Trump seems to be sleeping. “His head keeps dropping and his mouth goes slack,” Haberman reported on Day 1 of the trial.

Stewart chimed in with a New York accent: “Hey, Jake, what part of the head down, eyes closed, and drool coming out of your mouth? Aren’t you coming here?” in a segment previously reported by mediate.

“He’s snoring. She is honking. She’s doing the ‘mee-mee-mee-mee’. “

Stewart then lowered his accent and added, “Imagine committing so many crimes that you get bored at your own trial,” referring to the other criminal charges Trump faces in three other jurisdictions.

Jimmy Kimmel also got a taste of Day 1 of Trump’s hush money trial during his own late-night show.

“If Biden is Sleepy Joe, I guess that makes you Dozo the Clown,” he joked.

“Imagine if Joe Biden fell asleep in court on the first day of his trial,” Kimmel said. “Trump would call him ‘Joe in a coma.’ . . But not old Donny Nappleseed.

Kimmel, 56, continued, attacking Trump’s recent public offering of his social media company: “Multiple reports said Trump’s head dropped until his chin touched his chest, which, I don’t know, maybe he was just following the price of his social stock Truth. Either way, it’s good to see that even Donald Trump is exhausted by Donald Trump.”

Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates Truth Social, has been volatile since its market debut on March 26, attracting both loyal followers of the former president and short sellers who see the stock as highly overvalued.

As a result, the company, which trades on the Nasdaq under the symbol DJT, rose as much as 50% in its debut, but plummeted more than 60% over the subsequent weekend.

The hush money case is the only one that has a firm trial date. The 77-year-old Republican has tried to delay the other proceedings until after the election, where he will once again face Democrat Joe Biden in November.

The other cases stem from his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden and his handling of sensitive government documents after leaving the White House in 2021. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

“This is a persecution like never before,” Trump told reporters Monday after the court adjourned for the day.

“No one has ever seen anything like it. And I repeat, it is a case that should never have been filed,” she stated. “It’s an assault on America and that’s why I’m very proud to be here.”

Stewart concluded, taking one final swipe at the former commander in chief: “Well, it’s true. Trump is always very proud to be part of any attack on the United States.”

Although dozens of potential jurors were screened Monday, none were ultimately selected.

The trial is expected to last about two months and Trump faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

Because it is a criminal trial, Trump must appear in court every day it is in session.