Trump 'kept closing his eyes' as heated debate arose in 5-hour court hearing: reporter
Former president Donald Trump appeared sleepy and bored during a federal court conference in the criminal case in which he stands accused of hoarding classified documents in his Florida social club Mar-a-Lago, according to a new report.
Trump "kept closing his eyes" during the five-hour hearing as Justice department prosecutors, his attorneys and Judge Aileen Cannon debated motions and scheduling options ahead of the 2024 presidential election in which he is predicted to run, CNN's Katelyn Polantz reports.
"Trump appeared to grow impatient by 3 p.m. ET, just before the five-hour hearing’s end," writes Polantz, "shaking his head as prosecutor David Harbach stood up to deliver his closing argument."
Trump "barely looked" at special counsel Jack Smith, Polantz reported.
ALSO READ: ‘Leave the drama to them:’ Mother of Lauren Boebert’s grandson speaks out
Earlier in the day, Polantz briefed CNN viewers on-air about how comfortable Trump seemed in the federal courtroom.
"Trump appeared to be a lot more relaxed than in past hearings," she told host Dana Bash. "He didn't whisper much with his attorneys as he's done previously."
Polantz reported there were "heated arguments" made over scheduling ahead of the election.
"[Trump] sat there," she said. "He listened pretty passively for most of the hearing as the arguments were being made."