Donald Trump's lawyers are coming up with creative ways to keep their client awake as he continues to make headlines for dozing off during his high-profile hush money trial in New York, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Journalists along with a sketch artist have been keeping the public informed about the ex-president's demeanor and apparent struggles with consciousness in the Manhattan courtroom, where cameras are not allowed to record proceedings.
Trump has reportedly fallen asleep in court several times since the case kicked off two weeks ago, and Tuesday's hearing was no different.
While recounting the day's highlights, MSNBC Legal Correspondent Lisa Rubin reported that Trump was once again "sleeping for a lot of it."
She claimed that his attorneys "have tried a number of different devices to keep Trump awake."
For example, Rubin said, "When there are sidebars, an attorney doesn't leave his side anymore because leaving him alone means leaving him to potentially sleep."
The legal team has also tried keeping their client alert by giving him "a stack of papers" that he has "with him at all times to go through."
Yet despite their efforts, Rubin said that "neither of those things seem to have protected Trump from his own exhaustion today."
The reporter said, "More than not, when I looked up to see how Trump was receiving the testimony, Trump was not receiving it at all because his eyes were closed."
Network contributor Sue Craig chimed in, claiming that the former president's eyes could be closed "because he's trying not to react. It could be because he's listening." Craig also pointed out that "at times today," Trump "was attentive to the testimony and he was popping mints into his mouth."
She said the defendant seemed to be paying attention while the court heard from Keith Davidson, the ex-lawyer of adult film star Stormy Daniels.
"So I think, you know, it depends, given, I think who’s up and where we are in the testimony," Craig continued, to which Rubin replied, "I would say the morning did not hold his interest."
Trump's sleepy saga began just hours into the first day of the criminal trial on April 15, when New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman wrote in a newsflash that "Trump appears to be sleeping."
"His head keeps dropping down and his mouth goes slack," Haberman said.
The viral news of his alleged nap was not enough to keep the former president alert because reports surfaced the following day that he had once again nodded off in court.
Reporter Frank G. Runyeon posted to X on the morning of April 16: "Trump's head slowly dropped, his eyes closed. It jerked back upward. He adjusts himself. Then, his head droops again. He straightens up, leaning back."
The third incident came on April 19, when NYT's Haberman reported that "Trump appears to have fallen asleep in court again."
"It happened several times just now," she wrote. "His eyes were closed for extended periods and his head dropped down twice."
The presumed 2024 Republican presidential nominee has reportedly fumed over the reports, and his campaign denounced them as "fake news."
“None of these sources know what the hell they’re talking about and clearly have no access to any type of factual information,” Trump's campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said. “These are the types of losers who will try to peddle fantasy as fact because they live miserable existences.”
Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying his business records regarding the hush money payments he allegedly made during his 2016 bid for president.
If convicted, he could spend more than four years behind bars. The trial is expected to last at least six weeks.