‘He had to kiss the ring’: Sen JD Vance mocked for saying he attended Donald Trump's hush money trial ‘to support a friend’

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Republican Senator JD Vance of Ohio made a notable appearance at the hush money criminal trial against former President Donald Trump on Monday, May 13.

In an interview on Fox News’ 'The Story with Martha MacCallum', Vance expressed his reason for attending, stating he wanted to be a "friendly face in the courtroom" for Trump, whom he considers a friend.

Donald Trump finds solidarity amid legal proceedings

“I mean, look, I was there to support a friend,” Vance, seen as a potential running mate for Trump this fall, told MacCallum. “Aside from the political implications of this trial, and we’ll certainly get to that, I think this is a very depressing way to spend five, six weeks of your life when you know that you’re innocent, as Donald Trump knows that he is,” he continued.

“Recognizing that sometimes it’s a little bit lonely to sit up there by yourself, I offered to come in and maybe just be a friendly face in the courtroom. And that’s all I wanted to do,” Vance said.

The senator emphasized that his presence, along with other Republican allies, was not merely symbolic but a genuine display of support for Trump.

“And that’s what I think you see so many people want to come and show their support for the president, because they actually like what he stands for. They think that this trial is pathetic. And they want to show some support to a friend. And I think that’s a good thing and an admirable thing. That’s certainly what I wanted to do up there,” he added.

Among those who joined Vance in New York to support Trump were Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and Representative Nicole Malliotakis of New York. Together, they formed part of Trump's entourage seated in the second row of the courtroom gallery, demonstrating solidarity with the former president.

The trial revolves around Trump facing 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments made to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. These payments were allegedly intended to silence adult film actress Stormy Daniels about an alleged affair with Trump prior to the 2016 election. Trump has denied all charges and maintains his innocence, according to The Hill.

Despite Trump being under a gag order, preventing him from certain criticisms, his allies, including Vance, have been vocal outside the courtroom. Vance particularly criticized Cohen's credibility, highlighting his past as a convicted felon and questioning the legitimacy of his testimony.

“This guy is a convicted felon who admitted in his testimony that he secretly recorded his former employer, that he only did it once, allegedly, and that this was supposed to help Donald Trump. Does any reasonable, sensible person believe anything that Michael Cohen says? I don’t think that they should,” Vance said outside the courthouse. “And I actually think that his testimony is going to hurt with any reasonable juror, and hopefully we have a few of those."

“Now look, whether you love Donald Trump, whether you like Donald Trump or whether you’re a Democrat or don’t care about politics, what’s going on inside that courtroom is a threat to American democracy,” Vance added.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we cannot have a country where you get to prosecute your political opponents instead of persuading voters.”

JD Vance faces backlash on social media

Vance may have gone to court to "support a friend" but he surely did not get many friendly responses on social media for his remarks.

"Trump doesn't have friends because he thinks he's better than everyone else. He has suckups," one posted on X.

"He went because he had to kiss the ring to become VP. No morals. No convictions. Just greed and ego," another chimed in.

"The un-republican Republicans showed up not only to support Trump but to try to intimidate the jury. The presence of so many Congressional Rs was calculated and obvious," someone else insisted.

"It's just remarkable that so many of these clowns in the GOP continue to show loyalty to Trump even after Trump proves time after time that he will never repay them with loyalty in return," another offered.

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