Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Trump threw foul-mouthed tantrum over Stormy Daniels trial date, book claims

The former president was upset that his legal woes would coincide with the 2024 primaries

Michelle Del Rey
Friday 03 November 2023 23:02 GMT
Comments
Donald Trump v Stormy Daniels: The story so far

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Donald Trump berated one of his lawyers in a foul-mouthed tirade after learning that his New York City trial over hush money payments to Stormy Daniels would take place during the presidential primaries, a new book claims.

“You little f******” Mr Trump reportedly yelled at his attorney Todd Blanche upon learning that a court date in the matter had been set for March 2024. “You are going to cost me the presidency!”

The revelation comes from an excerpt of ABC News’ Jonathan Karl’s new book titled Tired of Winning: Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party, which was published in The Atlantic this week.

The excerpt described Mr Trump as reacting “angrily, waving his hands and shaking his head” when he learned the news.

“That’s in the middle of the primaries!” Trump yelled at Mr Blanche. “If I lose the presidency, you are going to be the reason!”

The tantrum, a source told the reporter, lasted for about 30 minutes.

Prior to that, Mr Trump’s campaign had started capitalising on merchandise associated with his legal troubles by selling a $36 T-shirt of the former president appearing to take a “mugshot.”

A spokesperson for the former president disputed that characterization in a statement, according to the Daily Mail.

“None of what is being described ever happened,” the representative said. “The uniformed source could not even get their lie straight.

Former US President Donald Trump sits at the defence table with his defence team in a Manhattan court on 4 April 2023 in New York City
Former US President Donald Trump sits at the defence table with his defence team in a Manhattan court on 4 April 2023 in New York City (Getty Images)

“The trial date was already set earlier in consultation with President Trump, his legal team and his campaign.

“There would be no reason to be upset at the trial date that everyone had agreed upon. President Trump and Mr Blanche are united in fighting these unlawful witch-hunts and the weaponization of the justice system,” the spokesperson concluded.

Mr Blanche is a white-collar defence attorney who previously served as a former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Mr Trump hired him in April ahead of his New York City arraignment when he became the first former or sitting US president to be handed criminal charges.

He’s currently facing 91 charges related to four different cases, including election interference, taking classified national defence documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in