Donald Trump has reportedly dozed off in court several times during his own criminal trial, and it's likely to affect whether he's found guilty of felonies, a federal prosecutor said on Saturday.
New York Times' Maggie Haberman was first to report that the former president was sleeping during a trial in which he faces the potential of jail time for a purported hush money cover-up scheme to impact the election in 2016. Haberman has since reported that people close to Trump confirm he has fallen asleep at trial, although Trump maintains that he is simply resting his "beautiful blue eyes."
Former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance appeared on MSNBC over the weekend, where she was asked about any "missteps" the ex-president has made in court up until now.
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"Have you noticed any missteps from the prosecution or defense?" the host asked.
"If you're the defense, having your client sleeping in the courtroom is not a good look," the expert said. "It conveys a lack of respect for the process and jurors notice every little detail. They will notice things like that."
As for the attorneys involved, according to Vance, "the lawyers are doing a good job."
"The prosecution, I think, has been very straightforward. They are simply checking off the boxes of the elements of proof that they have to establish so that when they stand up in closing argument they can tell the jury here are the elements of the crime and here is our proof for every element. That is good technical expertise on their part."
The jury impact of Trump's purported naps was also noted by New York Times reporter Susanne Craig, who is known for following the finances of Trump and his business empire.
"Occasionally he will pay attention and be watching a witness. For the most part, we are not seeing that. I'm interested in how that is playing with the jury. They are watching him and seeing that. I can't imagine that is helping him," Craig said on MSNBC earlier in the day Saturday.
