Trump looks to cast 'poor turnout' of hush money crowd 'as more evidence of a plot against him'

Across the street from the Lower Manhattan courthouse where Donald Trump's hush money trial is being held, sits College Pond Park — an area that has been designated as a site for protesters. Some of the protesters have been Trump supporters, while others have been Trump critics and opponents.

According to New York Times reporters Jonathan Swan, Maggie Haberman and Nate Schweber, Trump is disappointed that more of his supporters haven't been showing up in College Pond Park during the trial to protest.

On April 22, they note, Trump was "evidently not happy" when he saw that "only a handful of" his "supporters had gathered" in the small park.

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"Mr. Trump has portrayed his legal jeopardy as a threat to America itself, and he has suggested that the country would not put up with it," Swan, Haberman and Schweber explain. "But the streets around the courthouse on Monday were chaos-free — well-patrolled and relatively quiet. As his motorcade made its way to the courthouse, the few Trump supporters gathered in the park were outnumbered by Trump detractors, who waved signs about his alleged liaison with a porn star."

Trump, they add, hoped to "gin up something noisier" on April 22 — and he has "sought to cast the poor turnout as more evidence of a plot against him," implying that "MAGA protesters were being discriminated against for political reasons."

"Mr. Trump had made no secret of the fact that he wanted a circus to accompany his trial," Swan, Haberman and Schweber report. "He had told advisers he wanted as much media as possible to cover his daily jeremiads against the prosecutors and judge who — he claims without evidence — are conspiring against him at the direction of (President Joe) Biden himself. Mr. Trump publicly encouraged protests and several allies, including the New York Young Republican Club, tried to round up a crowd. The demonstrations have so far been spotty at best."

College Pond Park was the scene of a horrific event on Friday, April 19, when protester Max Azzarello set himself on fire.

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MSNBC's Yasmin Vossoughian was outside covering Trump's trial when she saw Azzarello on fire, and she was clearly shaken by what she saw (Azzarello later died in the hospital). CNN's Laura Coates witnessed the shocking self-immolation as well.

But the following Monday— when both sides gave their opening statements during the trial and former National Equirer CEO David Pecker was called as the prosecution's first witness — College Pond Park was relatively calm.

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Read the New York Times' full report at this link (subscription required).