With his future political career on the line but no sign that his GOP support is unraveling, Donald Trump stepped away from watching his impeachment trial to hit the links at his West Palm Beach golf course Thursday.
In exclusive photos obtained by DailyMail.com, the former president can be seen in a white golf shirt during an afternoon golf outing. He has been a regular on the course relocating to Mar-a-Lago on January 20th after refusing to concede the election and skipping President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
The former president arrived at his Trump National Golf Club before 1 pm, and spent hours on the course even as Democratic managers made the case that rioters who ‘desecrated’ the Capitol were ‘following his orders.’
He could be seen putting on the 14th hole of the course more than three hours into his game, indicating he was playing at a leisurely pace.
Trump’s outdoor recreation came on a day when House managers serving as the prosecution finished presenting their case.
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Trump lawyer David Schoen did an interview with Fox News while the trial was going on and in the midst of manager Ted Lieu’s presentation. He said on Friday people would see ‘the hypocrisy in some of the positions taken by some of the House managers’ in the case.
Schoen accused Democrats of making ‘movies’ and called them ‘offensive’ to the nation’s ‘healing process’ – in reference to security footage showing Vice President Mike Pence being hustled out of the building, staffers scurrying for safety, and rioters smashing their way into the building.
In addition to getting on the airwaves, Trump’s lawyers got the benefit of advice from people sitting effectively as jurors in the court of impeachment. They met with Republican senators including Trump loyalists Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham Thursday.
Cruz, who has argued cases before the Supreme Court and who backed challenges to overturn the vote in states Trump lost, said the meeting was to discuss ‘strategy for tomorrow.’
‘We were discussing their legal strategy and sharing our thoughts,’ Cruz told Capitol reporters. He said the job of Trump’s lawyers is to prove that Trump’s conduct didn’t satisfy the legal status of ‘high crimes and misdemeanors.’
Schoen said the confab was to discuss ‘procedure,’ and blasted the prosecution’s use of video of the MAGA riot.
He said ‘playing over and over again what happened at the Capitol when everyone has condemned what happened’ amounted to ‘political weaponization.’
Graham is the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee and speaks regularly with Trump. His call to Ivanka Trump pleading with her to persuade her father to get rioters to leave the Capitol was featured in the trial, where no witnesses have been called.
Trump stayed off the course for the opening day of the trial Tuesday, ‘quietly watching’ according to one account but ‘extremely frustrated’ at his own lawyers’ performance. He also stayed away Wednesday.
It was on Wednesday when Democrats laid out the substance of their case – including a shocking video that showed Trump’s supporters attacking police while hurling expletives at them as well during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
On Thursday, House managers developed more nuanced arguments tracing back Trump comments at rallies extending back year where they said he egged on his supporters to engage in violence and celebrated them when it happened.
There were still videos that could have grabbed his attention – including rioters saying they were ‘invited’ to the Capitol by Trump, point managers stressed while accusing him on ‘incitement of insurrection.’
The managers did show more clips of supporters clad in Trump gear busting through windows and menacing people inside the Capitol.
Trump himself didn’t wear a MAGA hat Thursday, instead wearing a hat and shirt featuring his family crest, revealed years ago to have been lifted from another coat of arms.
Trump’s impatience with the trial may have been shared by many of Republicans serving in effect as jurors on the prosecution’s second day. Some were absent from the floor, others were seen doing tasks. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida was even spotted filling in country names on a map.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) during his presentation noted that Trump declined to answer questions, but offered a few he would have asked, including why didn’t he immediately send forces to help or ask his supporters to stop.
As a former president, Trump continues to enjoy Secret Service protection, and members of his detail could be seen stowing away rifles that were stored in vehicles that make up his motorcade.
He also enjoys other perks including an office and staff – and as of this week has the right to seek another four years in office. The Senate could vote to bar Trump from holding public office in the future if he is convicted on a two-thirds vote, which continues to look like a tall order.
”You know I’m not afraid of Donald Trump running again in four years,’ said California Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu during his trial presentation. ‘I’m afraid he’s going to run again and lose, because he can do this again.’
On Friday, it will be the turn of Trump’s lawyers again, and they are indicating they don’t plan to use their full 16 hours, possibly wrapping up their presentation in a single day.
Democrats rest their case in Trump impeachment trial
Democrats concluded their case against President Donald Trump Thursday afternoon, by again warning their Senate audience that if they acquit the ex-president, he could return to public office and act the same all over again.
‘If we let it go unanswered who’s to say it won’t happen again?’ asked impeachment manager, Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse, who was charged with reviewing all the arguments the House Democrats team had put forth over the last two days.
Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, the lead impeachment manager, ended Thursday’s session by challenging Trump’s lawyers to actually defend his actions.
‘In trust we hope that the defense will understand the constitutional gravity and solemnity of this trial by focusing like a laser beam on the facts and not return to the constitutional argument that’s already been decided,’ Raskin said.
On Tuesday, the Senate had voted 56-44 that it was constitutional to try an ex-official, allowing the trial to proceed.
‘So our friends must work to answer all of the overwhelming, detailed, specific factual and documentary evidence we’ve introduced of the president’s clear and overwhelming guilt in inciting a violent insurrection,’ Raskin continued.
Raskin reminded the Senate that Trump had turned down the opportunity to testify.
The Maryland Democrat then outlined five questions he believed Trump’s lawyers needed to answer for him, including why he didn’t tell his supporters to stop the attack, why he did nothing to stop the attack for hours, why he didn’t help law enforcement, why he didn’t condemn the violent insurrectionists and, finally, if inciting an insurrection fits the definition of a ‘high crimes and misdemeanor.’
Trump’s lawyers, Bruce Castor and David Schoen, will take over the trial starting Friday.
Earlier, Raskin’s central argument was that if the Senate doesn’t strip away Trump’s power to run for re-election, the country was due for a sequel.
‘My dear colleagues, is there any political leader in this room who believes that if he is ever allowed by the Senate to get back into the Oval Office, Donald Trump would stop inciting violence to get his way?,’ Raskin argued earlier Thursday.
‘When you bet the lives of more police officers on it? Would you bet the safety of your family on it? Would you bet the future of your democracy on that? President Trump declared his conduct totally appropriate. So, he gets back into office, and it happens again, we will have no one to blame but ourselves,’ he concluded.
If Trump is found guilty, he would be barred from ever holding public office again. He is expected to be acquitted.
Democrats argued Thursday that Trump has lit the fuse on violence for years.
‘January 6th was a culmination of the president’s actions, not an aberration from them. The insurrection was the most violent and dangerous episode so far in Donald Trump’s continuing pattern and practice of inciting violence,’ Raskin said.
‘Trump knew exactly what he was doing and inciting the January 6 mob. Exactly,’ he noted. ‘He had just seen how easily his words and actions inspire violence in Michigan. He sent a clear message to his supporters. He encouraged planning and conspiracies to take over capitol buildings on threaten public officials who refused to bow down to his political will.’
