'Trump nodded at him': CNN reporter describes how Trump signals to his lawyers in court

Former President Donald Trump's attorney caught his client's nod and moved to push his trial date forward in the case involving an adult film actress, a CNN reporter said Thursday.

On Thursday, Trump's attorney Todd Blanche was remonstrated by Judge Juan Merchan after he ruled the former president must face trial starting March 25th. The case involves a payoff to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

But when former President Donald Trump's attorney Todd Blanche made his case to push Trump's March 25 court date back he apparently turned to his client for a signal — and he received one.

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"They moved on to talk about jury selection and to talk about the trial schedule," said CNN's Kara Scannell, who had been inside the criminal court room in Lower Manhattan. "The judge said, 'Is there anything else you want to bring up?' And at that point, Blanche looked over but Trump who nodded at him, and then Blanche began saying he objects to everything that's happening in this courtroom. Trump shouldn't be here. This shouldn't happen in America."

The theatrical oomph that Blanche witnessed appeared to have inspired by a person seated in the back of the gallery.

Scannell recounted: "And then when Trump is leaving the courtroom, someone in the back row started clapping and the court officers said, quiet in the courtroom, but that is the first time I've seen someone publicly react in the courtroom to him in a way that was really audible."

Trump has been charged with 34 felony counts of violating a New York law on corporate record-keeping and manipulating business records tied to $130,000 in hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels in order to keep their alleged sexual encounter from going public.

After sitting in the court on Thursday, Trump groused about being forced to be in a New York State criminal courtroom when the South Carolina GOP presidential primary is closing in on the Feb. 24 voting date.

“Instead of being in South Carolina and other states campaigning, I’m stuck here," Trump said in the corridor of the courthouse before a throng of reporters. "It’s an election interference case. Nobody’s ever seen anything like it in this country. It’s a disgrace, it’s a disgraceful situation actually."

Watch the exchange on CNN below or click the link.