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Stephen Colbert highlights a truly awkward ‘Freudian slip’ outside the Trump hush money trial

Vivek Ramaswamy made an unfortunate slip-up after he accidentially said ‘disgusting sham politician’ before correcting himself to ‘prosecution’ while supporting former president outside courthouse in New York

Amelia Neath
Wednesday 15 May 2024 13:00 BST
Stephen Colbert highlights awkward Freudian slip outside Trump hush money trial

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Stephen Colbert has revelled in a very awkward “Freudian slip” made by Vivek Ramaswamy outside the courthouse where Donald Trump’s trial is taking place.

Republican Congress members and officials rushed to the Manhattan courtroom on Monday and Tuesday this week to air their grievances with the ongoing hush money trial against the Republican presidential candidate.

Mr Trump has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records for allegedly concealing hush money payments made to adult fil star Stormy Daniels ahead of the presidential election, in order to stay quiet about an alleged affair in 2006. Mr Trump denies all the charges and the alleged affair.

On Tuesday, entrepreneur and Trump supporter Vivek Ramaswamy headed to the court to share his thoughts on Mr Trump’s trial, in which he derided the  “fourth-rate prosecutors and a fifth-rate lawyer on the stand.”

During what Colbert described as Ramaswamy’s “suck-up visit,” to Mr Trump, the entrepreneur made mixed up his words.

A group of GOP supporters visted Donald Trump at his ongoing hush money trial at the Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday
A group of GOP supporters visted Donald Trump at his ongoing hush money trial at the Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

“While outside the court defending Trump, Ramaswamy made a bit of a Freudian slip,” Colbert said, before rolling a clip of the extremely embarrassing moment while mr Ramaswamy was speaking at a press conference outside the courthouse.

“Let’s pray for our country being stronger on the other side of this disgusting sham politician,” Mr Ramaswamy declared, before very quickly correcting his last word as meaning to say “prosecution.”

The awkward gaffe was almost too much for Colbert to bear, who was biting his knuckle and holding his face as the crowd howled with laughter.

“This disgusting sham politician! I mean, prostitution!” Colbert said, mocking Mr Ramaswamy. “I mean he must proclaim his flatulence, I mean innocence!”

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and Republican Congressman Cory Mills listen as former President Donald Trump talks with reporters outside Manhattan criminal court on Tuesday
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and Republican Congressman Cory Mills listen as former President Donald Trump talks with reporters outside Manhattan criminal court on Tuesday (Curtis Means @ 2024/AP)

Mr Ramaswamy – who at one point was a rival of Mr Trump’s in the Republican candidate race before dropping out and turning into a staunch supporter –was often mentioned as a potential vice president pick for Mr Trump, although various reports have suggested that his chances of becoming VP are unlikely.

Republican senators such as Tommy Tuberville also joined the congregation of GOPs outside the courthouse, telling Newsmax he went to “overcome the gag order” imposed on Mr Trump by the judge in the case –and even attacked the people on the jury.

“I am disappointed at looking at those American–supposedly American citizens in that courtroom [and] that the DA comes in and acts like it is his Super Bowl”

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