Takeaways from Trump’s roller-coaster day in court: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the policy deskevening bulletin that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill from the NBC News Politics team.

In today’s edition, White House Correspondent Catherine Doyle reports from a New York courtroom on Donald Trump’s whirlwind day on the legal front. Plus, senior foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell breaks down the new tension between Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu.

Highlights from Trump’s day in court

by Katherine Doyle

Monday was a bit of a roller coaster for Donald Trump on the legal front.

Trump’s defense team failed to convince Judge Juan Merca to add more time to the clock before Trump’s trial in the New York hush money case, with the former president shaking his head in apparent frustration during the hearing as the judge. set a date next month for jury selection to begin.

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But Trump won in another trial on Monday great reprieve for the debt he had to file as part of the civil case he lost.

Here are the key takeaways from Trump’s day in court:

Trump’s delay efforts fail: Trump successfully pushed back the start of the quiet monetary business, originally scheduled for Monday. But his attempts to further delay the trial were thwarted, with Merchan scheduled to begin on April 15.

Trump did not have to be in the courtroom on Monday. He will be required to attend every day when the historic trial begins in three weeks could have prevented it his promotional activities.

Trump did not hide his true feelings: Before entering the courtroom, he called the case a “witch hunt” and a “sham.” He raised an eyebrow. He watched as the judge pressured his attorney as he argued for more time to review the intelligence documents. He became increasingly frustrated as the defense failed to convince the judge that more time was needed.

Trump, wearing a navy suit and red tie, sat among his lawyers, his eyes bloodshot. As Merchan spoke, Trump leaned back from the defense table and narrowed his eyes. Trump frowned and frowned again as he left the courtroom at the start of the 45-minute recess.

Trump wins in another case: Even though Merchan was outside the courtroom, Trump won.

A state appeals court ruled that he and the co-defendants in the New York civil fraud case could post a lower bond, reducing the sentence from $464 million to $175 million and delaying any possible move by Attorney General Letitia James to freeze his assets. They have 10 days to post the bond.

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A new rift is emerging between Biden and Netanyahu

Analysis by Andrea Mitchell

Tensions flared again on Monday between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the United States for the first time allowed a UN resolution opposing Israel’s call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to pass.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the US abstained because the resolution did not condemn Hamas for the October 7 massacre, but did not veto it because the US agreed with the resolution’s call for an extended ceasefire and the release of hostages. Israeli sources told NBC News that Netanyahu was furious that the United States did not use his veto to block the resolution, and that he immediately He canceled a planned visit to the White House this week by his closest adviser, Ron Dermer.

The violation of the resolution occurred while Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and a team were already in the Pentagon. Their visit, along with Dermer’s, was arranged last week at the behest of Biden in his first call with Netanyahu in more than a month. Senior officials told NBC News that Biden was trying to undo the damage done a few days ago by praising Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s speech condemning Netanyahu’s war-making and calling for new elections in Israel.

Hoping to bridge their differences, senior officials told NBC News that Biden offered to send Netanyahu a delegation to Washington to hear alternatives, saying he disagreed with Schumer’s call for an election but still urged him not to occupy Rafah. But the US failure to block the UN resolution prompted Netanyahu to cancel Dermer’s visit, even though another member of his war cabinet, opposition minister Benny Gantz, said direct dialogue was so important that Netanyahu himself should come to the US.

Biden’s disagreements with Netanyahu and his right-wing Cabinet led to the US imposing sanctions on Jewish settlements in the West Bank after Israel failed to prevent violent attacks against Palestinian residents. All of this has forced Biden to walk a deeply personal and politically charged tightrope between his long-standing emotional commitment to Israel — which has led to his refusal to cancel or condition arms sales — with his distaste for the civilian death toll and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

These conflicting beliefs have left Biden with an almost impossible choice between progressive Democrats outraged by the destruction in Gaza and a larger group of voters who fully support Israel at all costs as he enters the heat of his re-election campaign.

For now, that’s it from The Politics Desk. If you have feedback – like it or not – send us an email politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com

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