Binoculars at the Trump trial
Aysha Bagchi packs her binoculars.
As Paste BN's dedicated reporter at Donald Trump's historic New York hush money trial, Bagchi includes the spectacles in her reporting materials. She uses them to peek at juror reactions, hone in on evidence lawyers reveal and watch a monitor that shows the former president's reactions to the trial (she sits behind him and can't see his facial expressions).
Bagchi has listened to 22 witnesses and viewed dozens of pieces of evidence in the old courtroom with her computer on her lap, writing about the trial in real time for Paste BN. She records every moment as prosecutors try to prove Trump disguised reimbursements to his former Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws when he paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 in 2016 to stay quiet about a sexual encounter that allegedly happened a decade earlier.
👋 Nicole Fallert here and welcome to Your Week, our newsletter exclusively for Paste BN subscribers (that's you!). This week, we talk with Bagchi about her insights from inside the first criminal trial in U.S. history involving a former president.
But first, don't miss these stories made possible by your Paste BN subscription:
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What it's like inside Trump's criminal trial
Binoculars aside, Bagchi is literally the eyes and ears of Paste BN in the courtroom. For five weeks, she's given readers an inside look at prosecutors' attempts to prove Trump falsified business records.
"I feel the historic nature of getting to be in the courtroom," Bagchi said.
Her days involve arriving at the "dreary, not very nice" courthouse at 7:45 a.m. to line up for two security checks. She stands with other reporters for hours, her heavy backpack stuffed with backup power banks weighing on her. When she finally clears security, she travels to the researved seating for Paste BN on a wooden pew on the 15th floor of the building.
She's crammed next to other writers who are also furiously typing for hours. Cellphones and photos aren't allowed, so her journalist's instinct is to take in details that wouldn't be included in a typical transcript: The glances and interactions among lawyers, who from Trump's entourage is in attendance, the reactions from jurors, the directives, and sometimes furor, of the judge.
The dramatic atmosphere of the courtroom is tangible, Bagchi said (even when Trump appears to frequently doze off).
One thing she wants people to notice is how the prosecution purposefully corroborated Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen. It was a risk placing a convicted liar in the role of a key witness, she said, but the prosecution worked to show how Trump approved a payment scheme to Cohen to mischaracterize the reimbursements.
"It feels like the prosecution was arranging the entire trial to corroborate what Cohen was going to say because of his documented history of lying," Bagchi said. "When I look at the whole trial, I feel like the prosecution knew they were going to have to use the testimony of someone with a lot of baggage and they did a lot of things to corroborate his words."
Something else she's noticed is how Trump has brought his reelection campaign to the courtroom. Trump has taken the opportunity of the trial to stir sympathy for him. Bagchi said being there makes this effort apparent. For example, she noticed Trump has repeatedly called the courtroom an "ice box."
"He's suggesting they're trying to freeze him," Bagchi said. But it has been weeks since she put on the jacket she packs daily because, after the first couple weeks of trial, the courtroom temperature has been consistently mild. His claim of being chilled on purpose appears overtly political as she sometimes removes her suit jacket, typing away at the next development.
Thank you
Paste BN is present in the courtroom because of supporters like you. Our reporting on vital historical moments wouldn't be possible without you.
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Best wishes,
Nicole Fallert