'Loser keeps losing': Internet mocks Donald Trump as judge denies motion to dismiss hush money case

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: Donald Trump's hush-money trial will proceed as planned, with jury selection beginning on March 25, a New York judge said Thursday, rejecting requests for a postponement from the former president's defense lawyers who argued it would interfere with his campaign to reclaim the White House.

The ruling means that the first of Trump's four criminal cases will go to trial, a case focusing on years-old allegations that he attempted to conceal information about extramarital affairs that surfaced during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Other cases accuse him of attempting to subvert the 2020 election results and illegally retaining confidential documents at his Florida mansion.

What did authorities say about Thursday’s decision?

Despite the defense's request, Judge Juan Manuel Merchan refused to postpone the trial date for the hush-money case, according to a report by Huffpost.

The judge cited the delay in a separate prosecution in Washington, which has been put on hold pending an appeal by Trump regarding his immunity from prosecution for actions taken during his presidency.

In light of this delay, Judge Merchan expressed satisfaction with his previous decision to maintain the trial date.

Judge Merchan said, “I’m glad I took that position because here we are — the DC case did not go forward.”

To make an informed decision regarding the trial date, Judge Merchan revealed that he consulted with Judge Tanya Chutkan, who presides over the Washington case.

As per Judge Merchan, the hush money trial is expected to last six weeks.

Assuming that the ongoing New York case remains on schedule, it is poised to commence just weeks after the Super Tuesday primaries on March 5, thereby coinciding with a crucial period in the political calendar during which Donald Trump may attempt to consolidate his position within the Republican presidential race and emerge as the presumptive nominee ahead of the November general elections.

In their bid to seek a reconsideration of the trial date scheduled for March, Trump's legal representatives cited this timeline as a contributing factor during Thursday’s hearing.

Trump lawyer Todd Blanche said, “We strenuously object to what is happening in this courtroom. The fact that we are now going to spend, President Trump is now going to spend, the next two months working on this trial instead of out of on the campaign trial running for president is something that should not happen in this country.”

Donald Trump attended hush-money hearing in New York on Thursday

On Thursday, former President Donald Trump made his first appearance in court in the New York case, where he was indicted and became the first ex-president to face criminal charges.

Since then, he has also been indicted in Florida, Georgia, and Washington, DC, leading to a busy overlapping stretch of legal activity for the MAGA figurehead.

Notably, Trump has made his court involvement part of his political campaign, and he has repeatedly attended court proceedings where his presence was not required.

On Thursday, he voluntarily went to court, despite the judge allowing him to join remotely by video from Georgia, where he was contemplating attending a simultaneous hearing in his criminal case there.

Trump addressed reporters after leaving the courtroom saying that “instead of being in South Carolina and other states campaigning, I’m stuck here.”

“We’ll just have to figure it out,” he continued. “I’ll be here during the day and I’ll be campaigning during the night.”

During the course of the past year, Donald Trump has criticized Judge Merchan, referring to him as a "Trump-hating judge," and has attempted to persuade him to step down from the case, and even sought to move the case from state court to federal court.

Despite these efforts, Trump's requests were unsuccessful, and the case remained in state court.

Although Merchan contributed small sums of money to Democratic candidates, including $15 to Trump's opponent Joe Biden, he has expressed confidence in his “ability to be fair and impartial.”

In addition to providing clarity on the trial schedule, Judge Merchan denied Trump's attorneys' request to dismiss the case.

The lawyers allege that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, brought the case to hinder Trump's political prospects during an election year.

Cyrus Vance Jr, Bragg's predecessor, declined to pursue the same charges.

Trump has been charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

Each count carries a potential sentence of up to four years in prison, although a conviction does not guarantee jail time.

The dispute revolves around payments made to two women, porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, as well as a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have knowledge of Trump having an illegitimate child.

Trump maintains he had none of the reported sexual encounters.

Michael Cohen, Trump's lawyer at the time, paid Daniels $130,000 and arranged for the publisher of the National Enquirer supermarket tabloid to pay McDougal $150,000, a tactic known as "catch-and-kill."

According to prosecutors, Trump's organization paid Cohen $420,000 and documented the payments as legal expenditures rather than reimbursements.

Last year, Bragg accused Trump of manipulating internal records stored by his company, the Trump Organization, to conceal the actual origin of the payments.

The legal team of the former POTUS has contended that no crime has been committed.

Internet mocks Trump over legal battles that could derail campaign

People on X ridiculed the 77-year-old GOP presidential frontrunner who is mired in courtroom hearings and appearances amid a crucial re-election bid for the upcoming November general elections.

One X user remarked, "Loser keeps losing."

Another noted, "Donald’s week is gonna get even worse with Judge Engoron’s ruling tomorrow!"

Someone else stated, "Criminal cases are so much more exciting. Especially because Trump will have to restrain himself. Impossible !"

One user quipped, "Trump might as well sign over every dollar he has and the RNC has for attorney's fees."

Another remarked, "Oh boy, Trump is about to have a front-row seat to his own drama! Can't wait for the courtroom showdown!"

"Oh he scared," a tweet read.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.