Judge Tells Trump’s Attorneys to Control Their Client: ‘He Is Cursing Audibly’

Judge Juan Merchan admonished Donald Trump’s defense team in court on Tuesday, telling counsel he could hear their client swearing during the proceedings.

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins relayed an exchange in which Merchan told the former president’s lawyers to get their client under control. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to conceal extramarital affairs – including one with former adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who testified on Tuesday.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche responded to Merchan’s directions by repeatedly stating, “I will talk to him”:

MERCHAN: I understand that your client is upset at this point, but he is cursing audibly, and he is shaking his head visually and that’s contemptuous. It has the potential to intimidate the witness and the jury can see that.

BLANCHE: I will talk to him.

MERCHAN: So, I am speaking to you here at the bench because I don’t want to embarrass him.

BLANCHE: I will talk to him.

MERCHAN: You need to speak to him. I won’t tolerate that.

BLANCHE: I will talk to him.

MERCHAN: One time I noticed when Ms. Daniels was testifying about rolling up the magazine, and presumably smacking your client, and after that point he shook his head and he looked down.

CNN’s Paula Reid reacted to the exchange on OutFront.

“And this is significant because this is not something that we have seen so far in the criminal case, though it was the kind of behavior that Trump displayed in his civil litigation,” Reid said. “But Judge Merchan, making it clear today, this is not something he will tolerate in his courtroom.”

In addition to warning defense counsel, Merchan appeared “irritated” at the prosecution and the testimony of Daniels, who described her alleged sexual encounter with Trump in graphic detail. The judge was “noticeably uncomfortable” and sustained multiple objects by Trump’s team.

Watch above via CNN.