Maggie Haberman Caught Off Guard By Trump Testimony In Fraud Trial — Which ‘Will Be Used Against Him’

New York Times correspondent and CNN analyst Maggie Haberman said she was caught off guard by admissions former President Donald Trump made on the witness stand at his fraud trial — that “will be used against him” in deciding the trial.

Trump was the star attraction Monday at his trial in the fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James and presided over by Judge Arthur Engoron. He took the stand after a week in which both former co-First Sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. took the stand, and days before former First Daughter Ivanka Trump is set to testify in person.

On Tuesday morning’s edition of CNN This Morning, Haberman disagreed when co-anchor Phil Mattingly said Trump did “what we all expected” in court:

PHIL MATTINGLY: What we saw Trump do, I think to some degree, what we all expected in the courtroom and then after the courtroom, kind of swaggering out with the bombastic take on things. What is the expectation for Ivana Trump? Tried not to have to testify. Appealed isn’t technically involved in the case. Do we know what she’s been doing to prepare?

MAGGIE HABERMAN: I want to just disagree on one note. I didn’t actually expect Trump to take ownership of this, those statements the way that he did. I didn’t expect him to attach himself and not distance himself the way his sons did. So that was surprising to me.

In terms of Ivanka Trump. She is going to try to get in and out with as little damage as possible. I know that there has been some prep going on. She has been very reluctant to do this. The fact that she was dropped from the case but also got her own lawyer separate from Trump lawyers has been a bone of contention in Trump’s circle. I expect that she is going to try to do as little as possible to inflame her father, but also to distance herself from any any any questions that the AG would have.

PHIL MATTINGLY: To take a step back on what you just said about the former president. Why do you think he took ownership?

MAGGIE HABERMAN: I think sometimes he says things under oath that he doesn’t either mean to say or that he has been coached, not to say.

Now, I think that the performance that we saw in terms of him attacking Letitia James, attacking the judge, describing it all in very political terms, that was all very planned and there’s no question about that.

And he is, to be clear, he is very, very angry about this case, that that is real, that I was not surprised by.

But I was surprised by some of what he said that will be used against him as damages are being assessed in this case. Now look Engoron, the judge, clearly has an opinion of Trump already. I don’t think that there’s any real question about that, has been questioning his credibility, repeatedly questioned his behavior yesterday.

But this will all factor into what happens next. And then the hope from the Trump team is did Engoron do things that they can argue on appeal means it should be overturned? That, they feel pretty good about that. But but we have to see how that plays out.

Watch above via CNN This Morning.