Trump trial shows he belongs 'in the gutter' rather than 'on a throne': op-ed

Now that Donald Trump's New York hush money criminal trial is underway, his "fragile" ego is set to go through a "lengthy battering," according to columnist Amanda Marcotte.

This Monday, the "humiliations continued to pile on" Trump with the testimony from the first witness, former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker. "Even in this truncated day of court, the picture painted of Trump was not the regal leader of his fantasies, but who he actually is: A sleazy poseur who belongs to the world of trashy tabloids and scheming hucksters," Marcotte wrote for Salon.

According to Marcotte, the whole spectacle shows that Trump " is more suited to wallowing in the gutter than sitting on a throne."

Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo, Marcotte wrote, didn't hold back when describing the salacious details surrounding Trump's alleged crimes — the cheating on his wife, the hush money payments, the claim of an out-of-wedlock child, the conspiracy with the National Enquirer to "catch and kill" scandalous stories. ... Then there was Trump's defense attorney Todd Blanche.

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"Trying to portray Trump as somehow above the shady people he surrounds himself with, Blanche sanctimoniously called Trump 'President Trump,' as if saying it makes it true. He tried to humanize his glowering orange lump of a client with, 'he’s a husband, he’s a father' and 'a person, just like you and just like me.' In contrast, Blanche attempted to discredit Michael Cohen, the aforementioned 'fixer' who has already served time for his role in this conspiracy, by calling Cohen a 'criminal.'" Marcotte stated in her op-ed.

With all that being said, Marcotte conceded that Trump's defense could work, since juries can sometimes be bamboozled, "as Trump's entire career demonstrates."

"Despite Trump trying to tell reporters this trial is going 'very well,' reports from inside the courtroom are that he was seething. No surprise there. Prior to this, Trump spent all day, every day inside a bubble, surrounded by flatterers and sycophants, always ready to tell him that he's a mighty man who definitely doesn't weigh an ounce over 215 and wins every golf game with ease."

Read the full op-ed over at Salon.