Will Trump’s many naps in court hurt his cause with the jurors?

Donald Trump’s hush money trial in New York has produced a lot of weird headlines but few have been as interesting as his possible repeated naps while in court. However, if it is true that Trump has been napping, could it hurt him?

Business Insider spoke to legal experts about the ramifications of the former president’s snoozes in court and they noted that while closing one’s eyes during a trial wouldn't get a person convicted, doing so would not help with the jury. 

"If they sense that the defendant is essentially blowing it off and not taking it seriously like an eighth grader, they will hold that against him… End of story" former litigator with the Department of Justice Gene Rossi told Business Insider. 

Rossi had tried 110 cases while working for the Justice Department and reported jurors took their roles very seriously.  But Rossi wasn’t the only lawyer to tell Business Insider that Trump’s actions could be held against him. 

"That is a proverbial middle finger to the jury," former Manhattan Assistant District Attorney and current defense lawyer Jeremy Saland explained about sleeping in court before adding it was a “foolish, dangerous way to handle yourself in that courtroom."

Rossi noted that he advised his clients to be respectful and act "like they are in church listening to a sermon by the Pope” while Saland told the American news outlet that the gravity of the situation might prevent jurors from Trump’s naps against him. 

"You should think that the system is there and has enough accountability and integrity that they won't hold it against him," Saland said, "but it certainly will not favor him." Yet it is still unclear if Trump has actually been napping in court. 

Trump’s napping in court was first reported by the New York Times in its live blog on the opening day of the former president’s hush money trail, noting at the time that his “head keeps dropping down and his mouth goes slack” according to Forbes. 

New York Times Journalist Maggie Habermann later went on to add that “Trump has apparently jolted back awake, noticing the notes his lawyer passed him several minutes ago” just a few moments after claiming that he appeared to be asleep, The Hill reported.

The Hill also noted that the former president wasn’t very happy with Habermann for her reporting, noting that Trump stared her down after he left court, something that several news outlets reported at the time. 

“After the thirty-some jurors remaining file out of the room for a brief afternoon break, Trump rises,” Law360 reporter Frank Runyeon wrote. “After the jurors leave the courtroom, he stares over at DA Alvin Bragg. Then Trump turns his eyes to the press pool.”

“As he exits, he glares at New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman for several seconds as he walks out,” Runyeon added. This moment was later discussed by Habermann during an April 15th interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. 

“He made a pretty specific stare at me and walked out of the room,” Haberman said. “I want to be clear that I’ve seen lots of people fall asleep in courtrooms,” Haberman continued. 

“I’ve seen jurors fall asleep. I’ve seen judges fall asleep. If anyone falls asleep who’s a criminal defendant in a case, we’re going to report on it,” Habermann added before noting Trump’s glare towards her was probably about her reporting on his alleged nap. 

The news that Trump had possibly fallen asleep during his appearance in court made the rounds in headlines but the most interesting part of the incident was that it appeared to keep happening to the former president. 

In a May 9th article for the New Yorker's Interceptor, Maggie Habermann compiled the many different Trump was caught sleeping. It included the opening day of the trial on April 15th, as well as four other times according to her reporting. 

The former president denied that he had ever fallen asleep during court in a blistering May 2nd Truth Social post that offered his own unique explanation for why he had been seen in court with his eyes closed. 

“Contrary to the FAKE NEWS MEDIA, I don’t fall asleep during the Crooked D.A.'s Witch Hunt, especially not today. I simply close my beautiful blue eyes, sometimes, listen intensely, and take it ALL in!!!” Trump wrote. 

Whether or not the jury will take Trump’s possible naps into consideration when they are deciding his fate is still unknown, but it is possible that the former president’s lack of respect could end up hurting him.

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