In the middle of April 2024, the jury selection for Donald Trump’s criminal trial started in New York City. At the time it was reported that finding impartial jurors was going to prove a challenge just like it would be a challenge to find jurors who would fit the criteria of Trump’s defence.
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In the end, jurors were found and the trial continued. Very interesting tidbits of information have come out of this trial, notably the one about how Trump asked a staffer to hide newspapers from Melania so she wouldn’t find out too much about his affair with Daniels.
But that isn't all. On TikTok and YouTube, American news channel MSNBC shared an interview they did with a dismissed juror right outside court. In the chat the woman had with the journalist, she took the time to reveal some interesting things about Trump and the trial. She specifically talked about his appearance, which is often talked about especially when it has to do with his tan and hair.
Trump looks ‘less orange’
On TikTok an extract of the video has gathered 6,7 million views while the full interview on YouTube has gathered over 400,000 views. In the extract MSNBC chose to highlight the funniest bits of the interview, focusing on an unexpected comment from the dismissed juror.
When asked by the journalist what her first impression of Trump was, the woman answered:
He looked less orange.
In the longer version of the interview, she adds:
He looked more yellow.
However, that is not the only thing the interviewee reveals. Talking about the former President’s attitude during those court sessions she said that he looked ‘bored’ and ‘like he wants this to finish’—indeed he has been accused of absurd and strange behaviour. She also specified that Trump didn’t ‘look angry’.
Being ‘six feet away’ from Donald Trump
Althought the funny moments from the interview are what captured the most viewers, the woman talks about much more interesting things. For instance, she explains how she found out that the trial would involve Donald Trump. According to her, the candidates for jurors were welcomed in court at 9am but didn’t find out about the case until 4pm.
She says:
We walked into the courtroom and we saw Donald Trump. We didn’t know before that.
The woman then adds that at first she was ‘shocked’.
I was sitting on the second row, like six feet away, and when I realised that Trump was there I was like ‘oh wow!’
I couldn’t believe it.
The journalist continues the interview by asking the woman about the people around her who, at this point, could be selected to be jurors on the first ever criminal trial involving a former US President. Apparently ‘everyone was shocked’.
Everybody was frozen. Not frozen. No expression, nothing.
The woman is then asked if the candidates discussed the event between themselves and she says that they all did. Not only that, they understood the fact that it is a ‘historical case’. She describes the atmosphere as ‘weird’ with people torn between the weight of the case and the need for impartiality.
Her lack of impartiality is what got the woman dismissed from the jury.
People of the jury
MSNBC’s interview continued and shifted to the jury. The journalist asked if there were people who really wanted to serve. The woman answered:
They feel the duty.
The interview ended with the anchor in the studio quizzing the woman about a very important element. She asked:
Given she’s spoken with others who were around her, does she get a sense that there will be a jury that can be fair and impartial selected at the end of the day?
The answer was simple:
I’m not sure about that. [...] I hope they do.
Read more:
⋙ Stormy Daniels: Everything you need to know about the woman who could send Donald Trump to jail
⋙ Donald Trump's hush money case is putting the spotlight on marriage with Melania
Sources:
MSNBC on Youtube – ‘He looked less orange’: Dismissed juror on seeing Trump in courtroom
