Former President Donald Trump appeared to fall asleep during jury selection on the first day of his hush money trial in Manhattan on Monday — and Jon Stewart had a field day with it on his “Daily Show” episode later that night.
“After years of anticipation, the first criminal trial of a former president has begun,” Stewart, 61, sarcastically began his rant on the trial, where Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal an alleged six figures worth of payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels to cover up an extramarital affair before the 2016 election.
“And by all accounts, it is absolutely riveting,” Stewart added before cutting to a clip of CNN’s trial coverage, where Jake Tapper questioned journalist Maggie Haberman about her earlier report that Trump had been snoozing during jury selection.
“Trump appears to be sleeping. His head keeps dropping down, and his mouth goes slack,” Haberman reported on Day 1 of the trial.
Stewart interjected in a New York accent: “Hey, Jake, what part of head down, eyes closed, drool coming out of his mouth, do you not f – – king get over here?” in a segment earlier reported on by Mediaite.
“He’s snoring. He’s doing the honk shoo. He’s doing the ‘mi-mi-mi-mi-mi.’ ”
Stewart then dropped the accent, adding, “Imagine committing so many crimes, you get bored at your own trial,” referring to the other criminal indictments Trump is facing in three other jurisdictions.
Jimmy Kimmel also savored Day 1 of Trump’s hush money trial during his own late-night show.
“If Biden is Sleepy Joe, I guess that makes you Dozo the Clown,” he quipped.
“Imagine if Joe Biden fell asleep in the court on the first day of his trial,” said Kimmel. “Trump would be calling him ‘Comatose Joe’ . . . But not old Donny Nappleseed.”
Kimmel, 56, continued, firing shots at Trump’s recent public offering of his social media company: “Multiple reports said Trump’s head drooped until his chin hit his chest, which, I don’t know, maybe he was just following the price of his Truth Social stock. Either way, it’s nice to see even Donald Trump is exhausted by Donald Trump.”
Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates Truth Social, has been volatile since its market debut on March 26, attracting both loyal fans of the former president along with short-sellers who see the stock as wildly overvalued.
As a result, the firm — which is listed on the Nasdaq under the stock ticker DJT — surged as much as 50% upon its debut, but toppled more than 60% in the weekend since.
The hush money case is the only one with a firm trial date. The other proceedings the 77-year-old Republican has sought to delay until after the election, where he’s set to once again go head to head with Democrat Joe Biden in November.
The other cases stem from his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden and his handling of sensitive government documents after leaving the White House in 2021. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
“This is a persecution like never before,” Trump told reporters Monday after court adjourned for the day.
“Nobody’s ever seen anything like it. And again, it’s a case that should have never been brought,” he said. “It’s an assault on America, and that’s why I’m very proud to be here.”
Stewart concluded, taking one final jab at the former commander in chief: “Well, it’s true. Trump is always very proud to be part of any assault on America.”
Despite dozens of potential jurors being screened on Monday, ultimately, none were selected.
The trial is expected to last about two months, and Trump faces up to four years in prison if convicted.
Because it’s a criminal trial, Trump must show up at court every day that it’s in session.