Donald Trump is finally on trial in Manhattan!

Echo essay published in Trump On Trial, in Intelligencer by Margaret Hartmann:

April 15, 2024, courtroom photo in Manhattan

“Sleepy Joe” was always a low-energy Trump nickname. Donald Trump’s derisive name for Joe Biden never had the zing of “Crooked Hillary” or “Liddle Marco,” and it was too similar to other Trump nicknames like “Sleepin’ Bob” Casey and “Sleepy Eyes” Chuck Todd. Now there’s a new problem with it that no one anticipated: It’s easy to turn it back on “Sleepy Don” when he nods off — repeatedly! — during a criminal trial over hush-money payments he allegedly made to cover up an affair with a porn star.

In an interview during a break, journalist Maggie Haberman told CNN’s Jake Tapper that Trump looked sleepy during previous court appearances but this incident was worse:

During day one of Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan — which will determine whether he broke the law by paying off Stormy Daniels just before the 2016, election, then disguising the payments — the former president reportedly fell asleep in the courtroom. Maggie Haberman wrote on the New York Times’ trial liveblog on April 16:

• Trump appeared to be sleeping. His head kept dropping down and his mouth went slack.
• Haberman said Trump was roused a short time later:
• Trump was apparently jolted back awake, noticing the notes his lawyer passed him several minutes ago.

Stewart Bishop, a reporter for Law360 who was in the courtroom, made the same observation: "It very much looks like Trump is dozing off right now." Perhaps Trump was embarrassed — but incredibly, it wasn’t enough to keep him from dozing off again during the proceedings again, the next morning.