And he embarked on that mission early Thursday morning, with a 6:30 am stop to greet workers at a midtown construction site, the latest in a series of efforts to highlight his appeal to working-class Americans.
“We want to be out there talking about our issues in these battleground states, and we’re just pinned down for weeks in New York,” said John McLaughlin, Trump’s pollster.
Inside the Supreme Court chamber in Washington, Trump’s legal team on Thursday seemed to be getting relatively positive news, however. During arguments in the immunity case, a majority of the justices hinted that they would likely send the case back for additional lower court proceedings — delaying his federal case and making it unlikely Trump will face trial on the charges before the November election.
A source close to Trump, granted anonymity to speak freely, said the Trump team was optimistic about how the Supreme Court arguments and New York trial went Thursday.
Back in Manhattan, as Trump opined on the economy during his second gaggle of the morning — after speaking with reporters at the construction site — he didn’t completely ignore the setting of the downtown courthouse where he’ll appear for weeks as he tries to beat 34 charges stemming from hush money payments to a porn star. Trump pivoted back to the New York trial.
“I’m at this trial, my constitutional rights have been taken away from me,” Trump said, before criticizing the merits of the case. “There is no case here. This is just a political witch hunt. Thank you very much.”
But as Trump turned and began to walk away from the press huddle, a reporter shouted a question about the most pressing matter looming over the day, which Trump hadn’t yet brought up himself. What about his immunity argument at the Supreme Court, slated to begin in mere minutes?
Trump swiveled back around to say the Supreme Court argument is “very important,” and that he “would have loved to have been there” for the hearing Thursday in Washington. Then he began discussing his accomplishments as president — the 571 miles of border wall he built — the ongoing war protests at universities, and how other nations are “laughing at us” in America due to President Joe Biden’s leadership.
Despite his team having reason to be optimistic about the Supreme Court proceeding Thursday, some evidence discussed by prosecution in the New York courtroom was less than favorable for the former president. Trump sat and listened as prosecutors and witness David Pecker, the former National Enquirer publisher who was an ally of Trump, discussed a non-prosecution agreement that stated Pecker’s company made an illegal campaign donation to Trump by issuing Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal a $150,000 hush money payment.
Trump whispered to his attorney and shook his head as Pecker read from the agreement.
He was much more in his element when he had campaigned earlier in the day and was met by chanting supporters. During his construction site stop that morning, the crowd included members of the Teamsters union, as well as other union and non-union construction workers.
“In the past, we were basically Democrats, all of us,” said Bobby Bartels Jr., manager of the Steamfitters Local 638 union, as he was interviewed by Newsmax moments after Trump left the work site. “And after what’s happened the last four years in this country, Democrats are basically pushing everybody to the other side.”
And Bartels on Thursday touted a poll he said he recently conducted of the union’s 9,000 members, where Trump was “leading Joe Biden 3-to-1.”
The warm welcome he received from the construction workers in Manhattan, McLaughlin said, “is what he’s getting from working people all over America, law-abiding people all over America.”
Trump campaign officials were pleased with the early morning event, which followed an appearance Trump made one evening after court last week at a Harlem bodega. Trump aides shared photos and videos of the event — the closest Trump is expected to come to a campaign rally this week.
When Trump emerged from the courtroom at the end of the day, he described the testimony of the day as “amazing,” and reiterated to reporters that the trial “should’ve never happened.” Later in the gaggle, Trump elaborated on his feelings about the Supreme Court argument, saying he heard that it was a “monumental hearing.”
He was sure to touch on another subject, too.
“On another matter,” Trump said, “you know, the economy has just been reported to be doing very badly.”
Alex Isenstadt contributed to this report.
