Donald J. Trump's Manhattan criminal trial was in its infancy when he began to lash out at his lead attorney, Todd Blanche.
Mr. Branch has long been Mr. Trump's favorite lawyer behind closed doors and on the phone, but the former president has repeatedly complained about him in recent weeks, according to four people familiar with the situation.
He complains that Mr. Blanche, a former federal prosecutor and veteran litigation expert, does not follow his instructions closely and is not aggressive enough. Mr. Trump has attacked witnesses, attacked what the former president considers a hostile jury group, and wants to attack Judge Juan M. Marchan.
Mr. Trump, who frequently complains about his legal fees and sometimes refuses to pay them, has often wondered why his legal fees are so high, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic. He says he has great doubts about this.
Nearly every lawyer who has represented Mr. Trump to date has spent time in a bomb zone. But as he enters the third week of his first criminal trial, a trial that not only threatens his campaign to become president again, but could also send him to prison – his lawyers say he has enough of his desires. The question of whether we can win our freedom has never been greater. .
Trump considers himself the greatest legal strategist. Since his inauguration, he has shopped around for lawyers who will do exactly what he wants, including helping him stay in office after losing the 2020 election. He vents to others that he doesn't have a “Roy Cohn,” referring to the notoriously ruthless former lawyer. Mr. Cohn represented Mr. Trump during his formative years in business, but he was repeatedly indicted and ultimately disbarred.
Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller said Monday that the former president and his team are focused on fighting the “ridiculous” incident and that “anonymous comments from people who weren't there are just that.” He added: “I am very skeptical of any gossip or hearsay regarding this case.”
Alina Haba, Trump's legal spokeswoman, described Branch as an “important part” of the team. Blanche declined to comment for this article.
In a Manhattan trial that resumes on Tuesday, Trump faces 34 felonies, with prosecutors accusing him of falsifying business records in 2016 to conceal hush-money payments to porn stars. He faces three other charges, which will likely be next. The only trial before the November election.
Blanche restarted her career to take on Trump as a client and also represented the former president in two of his three other criminal prosecutions. His friends say he truly believes Trump should never have been indicted in Manhattan.
It has become commonplace over the past year for Trump to blast his defense team before heading to court or the moment they enter.
At least so far, Mr. Trump — who he repeatedly lashed out at in two civil trials over the past six months — has respected Mr. Blanche's strategy while jurors are present. And Blanche has done things that seem to reflect the wishes of her clients. For example, in his opening statement, Mr. Blanche went out of his way to mention that Mr. Trump had built a “very large and successful company.”
If Mr. Blanche can convince at least one juror that a crime has been committed, the trial will end with an independent jury, which Mr. Trump will consider a victory.
But Mr. Blanche's representation of clients who tested the limits of rules and laws caused friction with Judge Marchand.
A judge last week argued that Trump had the right as a political candidate to attack court officials, despite a gag order barring him from criticizing witnesses and others, and said he had “lost all credibility.” warned M. Blanche. .
Mr. Blanche's friends and lawyers say he has client management problems that he cannot solve. If Trump does what he wants, they say, he will almost certainly face reprimand from the judge and perhaps undermine his client's defense.
Ellie Honig, a former prosecutor who worked with Mr. Branch in the Southern District of New York, said that “attacking as hard as you can every minute of every hour of every day is not always the best defense strategy in a trial.” He added: “You're going to wear out the jury, and more importantly, you're going to undermine your own credibility.”
“A good defense attorney knows that you pick your battles. You pick the most important battles,” Honig said.
It remains to be seen whether Trump's anger will continue. There have been many such interactions with lawyers over the past few years. During his second impeachment trial after he left office, there were five criminal investigations and three civil trials against him or his companies. His frustrations tend to come in waves.
As president, he reserved some of his harshest abuse for government lawyers. His vitriol against White House advisers Donald F. McGahn II and Pat A. Cipollone was often so severe that staffers said they felt an urge to leave the room.
But Mr. Blanche had a special status. People close to Mr. Trump say that Mr. Trump likes Mr. Blanche, although they acknowledge that a conviction would likely dampen enthusiasm.
Mr. Trump rates all lawyers against the two he rates most highly. One was Mr. Cohn, a mentor who gave him access to Manhattan's elite and taught him how to use the court system as a blunt weapon. The other was Jay Goldberg, who handled various issues for Trump, including his divorce from his first wife, until his death in 2022.
“Jay was a great lawyer,” Trump told reporters in 2021. You won't find anyone like this. Jay Goldberg, as you know, was an excellent student at Harvard University. But he was great on his feet. ”
Mr. Trump described Mr. Cohn, who died in 1986, as “very controversial, but very good.'' He reflected: “He did a great job for me. He was actually a very loyal person. If he had been with you, he would have been a very loyal person.”
Both Mr. Cohn and Mr. Goldberg were also gang representatives and were known for their showmanship.
Mr. Cohn surprised Mr. Trump after the Justice Department filed a housing discrimination lawsuit against him and his father in 1973. Cohn accused the federal government of “Gestapo-like tactics.” He delayed the case for months, settling it in a consent decree in 1975. Trump claimed victory.
Mr. Trump spoke candidly to biographer Timothy L. O'Brien about what he admired most about Mr. Cohn.
“He did brutal things for you,” Trump said.