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For Donald Trump’s critics, it’s become a frequent point of mockery: Members of the former president’s immediate family have, for the most part, failed to join him in New York City as his criminal trial has unfolded. While it’s not uncommon for defendants to receive moral support from loved ones — showing up at courthouses with a spouse, for example — Trump has seen far fewer allies show up at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse.
That changed a bit last week when Sen. Rick Scott showed his support for the presumptive GOP presidential nominee by driving with Trump to the courthouse, attending the trial and peddling pro-Trump talking points to reporters as the day progressed. The Florida Republican wasn’t a witness or a party to the case in any way, but Scott apparently saw symbolic value in making an appearance and political value in saying things to the media that the defendant could not.
And this, in turn, appears to have inspired others in the party to do the same thing. NBC News reported:
Former President Donald Trump risks a trip to jail if he attacks witnesses in his New York hush money trial. But his allies aren’t covered by the gag order he has repeatedly violated, and they’re increasingly launching the broadsides that Trump can’t. On Monday, as former Trump “fixer” Michael Cohen testified that Trump was directly involved in a scheme to kill negative stories about him during the 2016 election, Sens. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., ripped into Cohen.
The far-right senators were, incidentally, joined by other Republican officials, including Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall.
Predictably, they went far beyond simply professing the former president’s innocence. Vance and his GOP cohorts also did what the defendant would do were it not for a court-imposed gag order: They publicly slammed witnesses and even went after Judge Juan Merchan’s daughter.
Part of what makes all of this notable is the apparent outsourcing campaign: There are things Trump wants to say but can’t, so he’s relying on sycophantic allies — eager to please their party’s leader — to appear outside the courthouse and deliver the lines in his stead.
But that’s not the only thing happening here.
Vance, for example, is in the mix to be Trump’s running mate, which likely helped inspire the Ohio senator to make the trip to New York. This came to the attention of other would-be vice presidential contenders: Vivek Ramaswamy will join Trump today, as will Gov. Doug Burgum and Rep. Byron Donalds. Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is reportedly eyeing a trip of his own.
It has the elements of a burgeoning litmus test: As the former president reviews his options for his 2024 ticket, it’s hardly outlandish to think he’ll consider who showed up in New York City and who did not.
Under the original model, Republicans were expected to travel to Mar-a-Lago to kiss Trump’s ring and satisfy his ego. Under the new model, Republicans are traveling to the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse to kiss Trump’s ring and satisfy his ego.