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The trial of Donald Trump, considered as courtroom drama

Sensational witnesses, high stakes—it has the classic elements. Sort of

Former U.S. President Donald Trump attends his trial at Manhattan Criminal Court.
Photograph: Getty Images

An innocent man in fear of his life faces a biased jury (“To Kill a Mockingbird”). A guilty man is acquitted after shocking revelations from his wife (“Witness for the Prosecution”). In The Trial of Donald Trump, an adult-film star confronts a once and possibly future president who, she claims, stripped to his underwear while she used the bathroom in a hotel suite in Lake Tahoe.

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This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “A Few Rude Men”

From the May 18th 2024 edition

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