Democracy Dies in Darkness
The Trump Cases

The Trump hush money trial’s greatest misses

Every trial has mistakes, and they could matter more than the successes, including in Donald Trump’s New York case

By
May 26, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. EDT
Former president Donald Trump sits with his defense team in Manhattan criminal court on April 4. (Seth Wenig/AP)
9 min

Over 20 days at Donald Trump’s hush money trial, the prosecutors, defense lawyers, and even the judge have had strong moments, but also times when they’ve faltered or been caught off guard, according to legal experts who have been tracking the case.

In trials, a lawyer’s mistakes can sometimes be more consequential than their successes. The jury will hear closing arguments Tuesday and then deliberate in hopes of reaching a verdict about the guilt or innocence of the former president and presumptive 2024 Republican nominee.