The Trump trial is the latest must-see attraction for tourists in NY
Advertisement
They’ve ticked off Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty and seen Hamilton on Broadway. Now the visitors from Australia are headed for the public gallery of the Donald Trump trial at Manhattan Criminal Court. ‘We woke up this morning and said we have to be in “the room where it happens,’ said Marney, breaking into the hit song from Hamilton, quickly followed by a fit of giggles.
Across the street is the Manhattan court where Donald Trump is on trial. He has denied 34 counts of falsifying business records. But a seemingly mundane case about ledgers and checks has become the hottest ticket in town, enlivened already by the testimony of America’s tabloid king and a celebrity lawyer who has won payouts from Charlie Sheen.
Stormy Daniels is almost certain to appear. And for the lucky few who line up early enough to snag one of the golden tickets (well, the yellow card emblazoned with the New York State Unified Court System logo) there is a chance to be in the same room as the first former president to ever face criminal charges. Marney and her friend (who declined to give their full names because one works in the Australian legal system) are too far back in the line. Their destination is the overflow room, 1523, where proceedings are shown by video feed.
‘It’s history,’ said Marney. ‘If he is convicted he is the first president to be convicted. If he is acquitted, maybe he wins. Either way …’ It is only 7:30am on a drab New York morning but there are more than 25 people in line, standing beside a queue for journalists who get first dibs at the seats. Among the reporters is Andrew Weissmann, former Mueller investigation investigator-turned-MSNBC talking head. He has to fend off questions and selfies from perhaps the nerdiest line for a tourist attraction in the city.
He points out how rundown the court building looks: ‘You can tell from those old air conditioning units.’ No central air here. The windows are studded with old-fashioned box coolers. Ask him about the ground-floor cafeteria and his nose wrinkles in shock. This ticket is a lot cheaper than Broadway (well, it’s free). And the facilities match the price. The small park next to the line is set aside for protesters, but it is empty until a bearded man, dressed in black, arrives clanging a bell under his elbow.
He waves a crucifix in front of him, looking for all the world as if he is blessing the bedraggled ranks of camera crews and reporters tasked with broadcasting from in front of the courthouse. Ten minutes later and a woman from France joined the line. She is chatting to a man from Colorado who is in town for a funeral, but found time to round out his visit with Hamilton on Wednesday, and Trump on Thursday. Marianne Fortunato set off from her New Jersey home at 3 am to make sure she and her cousin got good spots. ‘I came up from Virginia,’ said Susan Koch, a 68-year-old photographer.
‘I was a history major. So I want to sort of witness history live in action. ‘And I’m also hoping that the “former guy” gets his just due.’ They arrived at 5 am, early enough to claim positions two and three in the line. Most days, the first six in line can make it in courtroom 1530 where they can breathe the same air as the former president and watch the back of his head for any sign of gentle snoring. ‘I’m really interested in seeing the jury, since they have been masked,’ said Fortunato. ‘I think it’ll be interesting just to watch their reactions and to read their body language.’
A Trump supporter walks along the line, draped in a 2024 campaign flag. She hands out leaflets that end with the line: ‘Wake up people! FJB!’ Next to her, a courtroom lawyer has come to see the drama on his day off from work. He declines to give his name for fear of professional ridicule, but says he is returning after hearing the testimony of David Pecker, the former editor of the National Enquirer, last week. ‘That was something else,’ he says, smiling at the way Pecker laid out the dark arts of buying up celebrity stories and massaging the truth.
‘I’m not talking about the procedural aspects or the charges. ‘It was just riveting in its own right to hear all this. I just think it would be a service to the world and the country for people to hear it. ‘You can’t summarize it and convey this distorted reality.’ A little after 8 am, the cards were handed out, and the lucky few dozen were escorted across the road and into the courthouse.
