In recent weeks, the scene outside the downtown Manhattan criminal courthouse, where former President Donald Trump was on trial, was one of relatively orderly anticipation.
Early each morning, a crowd—made up mostly of reporters and Trump supporters dressed to the nines in MAGA regalia—would begin to form outside the building, everyone settling in to wait for news of what was happening. was going inside.
The New York police were very present on the scene and had erected barricades around the entrance to the courthouse. But such precautions were hardly necessary.
I have made several visits to the courthouse over the past two weeks, and for such a controversial and historic trial, I was surprised by how calm the atmosphere was.
On a few occasions, I saw Trump supporters hurling insults at journalists, mostly by shouting “Fake news!” ”, but even that was quite rare. Most of the time there was just a lot of waiting. Some people brought folding chairs, bottles of water, packed lunches. Overall, it was more of a picnic than a protest.
But then, shortly after 5 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, the long-awaited verdict came, finding Mr. Trump guilty on 34 counts, and the scene changed noticeably. Crowds of spectators began to flood the courthouse, spilling into the small park across the street. The energy became decidedly more excited.
Not one, but two people dressed in Trump masks and orange jumpsuits appeared and started annoying the crowd. A small group formed around them, booing, shouting and hurling mocking insults at the two presidents. “Lock him up!”
Mr. Trump’s supporters were also present. Dressed in bright colors and brandishing huge flags and signs, they expressed their outrage at the verdict with their fists in the air.
At one point, I witnessed a tense moment between the two groups: someone carrying a sign reading “Trans people are good people” appeared to have a verbal altercation with a man wearing a red hat MAGA. Voices were raised and the man, appearing angry, walked towards the sign holder. But the moment passed quickly, each party returning to the crowd.
As the afternoon turned into evening, the park slowly emptied. Around 8 p.m., only a few journalists lingered. The drama of the day was finally over. It was just another beautiful spring night in New York.
