On Wednesday, May 29, the first day of deliberation by the jury in the case of former US President Trump’s “hush money” did not yield a result as the jury requested to hear again from a key witness. A large number of media personnel and supporters of Trump gathered outside the Manhattan courthouse.
This case revolves around Trump being accused of falsifying company business records to conceal his instructions to his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, to pay $130,000 in “hush money” to the porn star Stormy Daniels, to quiet Daniels’ claims about a “2006 sexual encounter” between them.
Trump has not pleaded guilty and denies the allegations of any relationship with Daniels, asserting that the payment to Cohen was for “legitimate legal services.”
While jurors engaged in lengthy discussions, Trump’s supporters outside the courthouse patiently waited, including some Chinese-American voters who believe Trump is being “unjustly persecuted.”
“Since the day Trump took office, they have been tarnishing his image. It’s been almost 8 years now, with no end in sight, from impeachment to Russiagate, and now another scandal involving a porn star or a female writer,” said a woman surnamed Li. “It’s all about falsely accusing Trump, we escaped from a one-party state, we don’t want to go back to that way of life, so we must defend America!”
In contrast to the lively atmosphere on the side supporting Trump, the other side of the park appeared deserted, with only an unattended banner that read, “Trump cannot be above the law.”