Former President Trump again complained about the temperature in the courtroom during his ongoing hush money trial Friday, suggesting it is being kept cold “on purpose.”
“We have another day in court in a freezing courthouse,” Trump said in the hallway just before the fourth day of testimony in his trial commenced.
“It’s very cold in there, on purpose, I believe. They don’t seem to be able to get the temperature up. It shouldn’t be that complicated.”
During jury selection last week, Trump’s team, prospective jurors, the judge and journalists all noted the cold temperature in the room. Some were even shivering.
“Judge, is it possible just to warm it up a degree or 2? It is so freezing in here,” Trump attorney Todd Blanche said last Thursday.
“Honest answer to that question is if I did that, it would probably go about up about 30 degrees,” Judge Juan Merchan said.
The Art Deco-style courthouse, located in lower Manhattan, was constructed roughly 80 years ago.
Blanche noted that “we are shaking” and everyone was “freezing.”
“It is cold, there is no question,” the judge agreed. “I would rather be real cold than sweating, and, really, those are your choices.”
This week, which began with opening statements and continued with testimony from prosecutors’ first witness, ex-National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, the courtroom has been more temperate.
Many reporters have taken their jackets off, and at least one remarked that comments about the courtroom temperature should be kept to a minimum so court officers don’t attempt to adjust it.
Trump’s comments, however, came before he entered the courtroom for the day Friday.
The former president in the trial faces 34 counts of falsifying business records over payments he made to his then-fixer, Michael Cohen, who paid hush money to a porn actress in advance of the 2016 election to prevent her allegation of an affair with Trump from coming to light.
Trump, who denies the affair, pleaded not guilty.
Ella Lee contributed.