New York Judge Juan Merchan hit Donald Trump with a warning against intimidating potential jurors as the former president sat apparently muttering in the courtroom on Tuesday.
During the second day of Trump's trial for allegedly covering up a sex scandal, defense counsel questioned a potential juror's social media posts following the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Trump lawyer Susan Necheles told the judge the potential juror had attended "an anti-Trump rally," an assumption based on a Facebook post showing New Yorkers celebrating the former president's 2020 loss.
The woman recalled posting a video of the celebration because it reminded her of the 7 p.m. cheers for service workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. But she added that she understood a juror's job was to be fair and impartial.
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After the prospective juror left the courtroom, Merchan cautioned Trump's attorney.
"She leaves, and Merchan says that Trump was muttering audibly, speaking in the direction of the juror while she was at the podium. Merchan's voice raises a bit, he wants to make it crystal clear that he won't tolerate anything of the sort," Lawfare Managing Editor Tyler McBrien wrote.
"I will not have anyone intimidated in this courtroom — tell [your] client," the judge said, according to Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press.