Trump trial live updates: Hush money testimony set to resume as ex-president awaits gag order contempt ruling

Donald Trump’s hush money trial will get back underway on Tuesday with further testimony from Gary Farro, the banker for former Trump fixer Michael Cohen who took the stand at the end of last week.

Cohen was instrumental in making a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair with Mr Trump. The court also heard on Friday from the former president’s long-time executive assistant, Rhona Graff.

Judge Juan Merchan is still yet to rule on whether Mr Trump should be held in contempt of court for violating a gag order imposed on him to stop attacks on witnesses, jurors and court staff.

Meanwhile, the Republican presidential candidate is understood to have met with Florida governor Ron DeSantis in Miami on Sunday to resolve their differences after a bruising primary rivalry.

Mr DeSantis’s campaign for the GOP nomination ended in disappointment in January and the former president now hopes to capitalise on his influence with Sunshine State conservative donors.

The Independent’s Alex Woodward is covering Mr Trump’s trial at Manhattan Criminal Court and will be bringing us regular updates throughout the day.

Key Points

• New York hush money trial: What to expect on day nine

• The scene outside court in Manhattan

• Trump baselessly claims ‘Deranged Jack Smith, a sick PSYCHO, got caught’

• DeSantis peace talks ‘about money’, not running mate pick

• President trails Trump in poll showing RFK Jr winning one in six voters

Watch live: Donald Trump’s hush money trial continues in New York

12:35 , Joe Sommerlad

You can watch our latest Manhattan livestream below as day nine of Trump’s hush money is set to get underway shortly.

Bill Barr says Trump often suggested executing rivals

12:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s more on the former US attorney general’s disturbing revelation about his ex-employer’s outbursts in the White House, which Barr appeared determined to dismiss as not serious but which feeds into a long history of threats and violent rhetoric from the candidate.

Bill Barr says Trump often suggested executing rivals in heated White House outbursts

New York hush money trial: The scene outside court

12:15 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s more from Alex Woodward courtside on what else the defendant has planned this week and who precisely is still showing up in the Big Apple to support him:

“It’s a big week for Trump, who’s gonna fit in two rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin on Wednesday before coming back to New York for a Thursday morning hearing about his gag order-violating statements. Can’t imagine he won’t violate the gag some more at those rallies.

“Outside the court, there’s a growing line for the public – a handful of Trump supporters including two women in American flag hats and matching bandannas and a high schooler who has the day off – while a small group of MAGA hats are assembling by the small park near satellite TV trucks.”

He adds:

“The red hats have entered the park, with a man dressed as what I can best describe as a MAGA Santa, and unfurled a massive yellow banner reading ‘FINISH THE WALL’ above another banner reading ‘TRUMP SAVE AMERICA’, which is the name of the campaign’s chief fundraising PAC.

“This group has been out here most trial days but appears to have arrived a bit early today (Trump has falsely claimed that thousands have been turned away. Anyone can enter the park. These are the people who do, and it’s not a lot.)

“A white van waving a massive US flag with a Trump 2024 flag (‘Take America Back’) just drove by, laying on the horn as the small protest crowd cheered.”

Florida classified documents case: Coat hanger could unlock storage room where Trump kept secret files, witness says

12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

We definitely still feeling good about this guy getting the nuclear codes?

Here’s the latest worrying development on Jack Smith’s national security indictment from Martha McHardy.

A coat hanger could be used to unlock room where Trump ‘kept classified documents’

New York hush money trial: What to expect on day nine

11:51 , Joe Sommerlad

Our man in Manhattan Alex Woodward is back at the courthouse bright and early and says this:

“It’s a relatively warm morning outside the courthouse for the second week of witness testimony in Donald Trump’s criminal trial.

“We’ll be hearing more from Michael Cohen’s former banker Gary Farro, who left us on a cliffhanger on Friday as he explained how Cohen had a ‘sense of urgency’ in creating a shell company LLC in the fall of 2016 – which we now know was used to send hush money payments to Stormy Daniels.

“We still don’t have a witness list; prosecutors have feared that advance notice could give Trump more fuel for online threats and intimidation. We also don’t have a ruling on alleged gag order violations from Justice Juan Merchan that he promised a week ago.

“He’ll hold a hearing on even more allegations on Thursday.”

New poll highlights ‘double-haters’ not enthused about Biden or Trump

11:30 , Joe Sommerlad

A fresh survey of 2024 voters has found that one in six dislike both former president Donald Trump and current president Joe Biden – and that group could decide November’s vote.

A Monmouth University poll released on Monday shows 60 per cent of voters were slightly or not at all enthusiastic about the election given the matchup between the presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees.

In addition, a large group of voters fall under the category of “double haters,” a name for those who dislike both Trump and Biden.

Some 78 per cent of “double haters” say they are not happy about either man leading the top of their party’s ticket.

John Bowden and Eric Garcia have more on the phenomenon.

New poll shows ‘double-haters’ not enthused about voting for Biden or Trump

New York hush money trial: Lindsey Graham jumps to Trump’s defence

11:00 , Joe Sommerlad

But wait! There is one man prepared to come to Trump’s aid in his hour of need - South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham.

The Republican loyally dismissed the former president’s trial as “a crock” during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, also bewailing the “selective prosecution” he feels his old friend is being subjected too before stopping short of telling Dana Bash that he deserves absolute immunity from the Supreme Court.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Lindsey Graham jumps to Trump’s defence over NY trial: ‘The whole thing is a crock’

New York hush money trial: Trump cuts a lonely figure as family and supporters stay home

10:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s more from Alex Woodward on the criminal defendant and presidential candidate looking solitary in Manhattan as his loved ones and MAGA acolytes fail to stand beside him, a phenomenon he has claimed, desperately, is the result of New York law enforcement cracking down on demonstrations in his favour (they aren’t).

Trump cuts a lonely figure at trial as family and supporters stay home

New York hush money trial: Stuck in court, Trump turns criminal proceedings into his campaign

10:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Trump’s hush money trial will get back underway today with further testimony from Gary Farro, the banker for former Trump fixer Michael Cohen who took the stand at the end of last week.

Cohen was instrumental in making a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair with Mr Trump.

The court also heard on Friday from the former president’s long-time executive assistant, Rhona Graff.

Judge Juan Merchan is still yet to rule on whether Trump should be held in contempt of court for violating a gag order imposed on him to stop attacks on witnesses, jurors and court staff.

Alex Woodward will be back at Manhattan Criminal Court for us today to watch proceedings.

Here’s his latest dispatch on the trial.

Stuck in court, Trump turns his criminal trial into his campaign

Trump-DeSantis meeting ‘about money', not running mate pick

09:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Also on Truth Social, Trump has been blowing smoke about his new best pal Ron DeSantis, whom he was last heard deriding as “Meatball Ron DeSanctimonious” and for being both short and dumb.

The men staged an hours-long summit in Miami on Sunday with the aim of brokering a truce after their bitter GOP primary feud — and with Trump hoping to convince the Florida governor to tap into his substantial network of donors in good time for November’s election, according to The Washington Post.

Gustaf Kilander has the latest.

Meeting between Trump and DeSantis was about money; DeSantis won’t be VP, sources say

Truth Social: Trump claims ‘Deranged Jack Smith, a sick PSYCHO, got caught’

09:05 , Joe Sommerlad

In among a thick soup of Fox News clips pleading his case, the former president launches his latest ludicrous attack on the Justice Department special counsel.

The basis? An utterly spurious Newsmax “report” alleging that the Biden administration met with the National Archives in late January 2021, which, angry anchor Rob Schmitt and Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton insist, proves America’s legal system has been weaponised against Trump and is “filthy”.

Judge for yourselves.

Trump led a ‘violent insurrection’ but McConnell still voting for him

08:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Like Bill Barr, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell has said he will vote for the man he holds personally responsible for leading a “violent insurrection” at his workplace, the US Capitol.

Here’s John Bowden with more on McConnell’s comments...

Trump led a ‘violent insurrection’ but I’ll still vote for him, says McConnell

Eric Trump praises father’s ‘stamina’ at New York trial

06:15 , Joe Sommerlad

This gushing tribute to the old man’s fortitude was all too easily shot down, as in the tweet below, given the defendant’s constant griping about every aspect of life in Judge Juan Merchan’s courtroom.

Amazingly, it wasn’t even the silliest thing said on Fox News over the weekend.

Trump is a hero for going to Chick-fil-A, claims Jeanine Pirro.

‘Trump may lose his hush money trial – but it’s not his biggest worry’

04:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The former president’s public image may take a bruising in New York, writes Jon Sopel, but his eyes will be fixed firmly on the Supreme Court in Washington – and the promise of immunity.

Trump may lose his hush money trial – but it’s not his biggest problem | Jon Sopel

New York hush money trial: Key takeaways from first week of testimony

02:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump’s trial is not happening on Monday but will be back tomorrow with more testimony from banker Gary Farro and others.

Here’s Kelly Rissman on what we learned from week one proper.

Key takeaways from the first week of Trump’s trial testimony

Trump invites himself to the White House to debate Biden

01:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The former president turned criminal defendant has suddenly begun to put pressure on his successor to debate him, despite refusing to appear on stage with his rivals for the Republican nomination last year.

Speaking outside of Manhattan Criminal Court on Friday, he proposed the White House as the ideal venue for such a contest, which Biden has said he is more than willing to be part of.

Here’s more on Trump’s challenge from Andrew Feinberg, Eric Garcia and Josh Marcus.

Trump invites himself to the White House to debate Biden

Biden trails Trump in poll showing RFK Jr winning one in six voters

Tuesday 30 April 2024 00:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Here’s more from John Bowden on CNN’s latest poll suggesting RFK Jr is having a serious impact on the presidential race, no doubt a major factor behind Trump’s sustained attack on the Kennedy family’s black sheep over the weekend.

Biden trails Trump in poll showing RFK Jr winning one in six voters

Stuck in court, Trump turns his criminal trial into his campaign

Tuesday 30 April 2024 00:10 , Josh Marcus

The last place Donald Trump wants to be is seated at a defence table, muted, in a courtroom in New York City, surrounded by reporters, for six to eight weeks.

A man who is used to spending his days golfing, surrounded by loyalists at his Florida resort, raging at network news, and traveling to makeshift arenas for rallies where his name is everywhere is instead entering the second week of witness testimony in the first-ever criminal trial of an American president.

But like his civil fraud trial down the street from the downtown Manhattan courthouse where he is on trial for allegedly falsifying business records, the former president is relying on the cameras staged in the adjoining hallway to cast himself as a victim of political prosecution, the defining feature of his 2024 presidential campaign.

That rhetoric is amplified in his campaign’s messages to supporters in increasingly absurd and false characterisations of what’s happening in court, where he pits his word against the reporters in the room and the official court transcript.

Alex Woodward has the full story from the courthouse in Manhattan.

Stuck in court, Trump turns his criminal trial into his campaign

Watch: Lincoln Project debuts new ad with an intended audience of one

Monday 29 April 2024 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Per The Lincoln Project:

As Trump stews every night at Trump Tower, the Lincoln Project has released a new “audience-of-one” ad that’s bound to have him chucking his happy meal at the wall in despair. “Guilty” features a whispering voice speaking directly to Trump about all the ways he’s ruined his life and how the walls are closing in.

“Trump falls asleep in the courtroom because he stays up all night dejected, afraid and all alone. He’s rattled at the prospect of being thrown into a court holding cell,” said Rick Wilson, co-founder of the Lincoln Project. “So while he rots away while essentially confined to Trump Tower, we want to make him feel the claustrophobia of prison as much as possible.”

The ad will run digitally geofenced at Trump Tower this week.

Arizona Republican charged in election subversion case elected RNC committeeman

Monday 29 April 2024 23:15 , Oliver O'Connell

An Arizona state senator charged in the election subversion case in the state has been elected as its national committeeman for the Republican National Committee.

State Senator Jake Hoffman was indicted last week, facing allegations that he joined the effort to overturn President Joe Biden’s win in the state. Mr Biden became the first Democrat to win Arizona on the presidential level since President Bill Clinton in 1996.

Gustaf Kilander has the details:

Arizona Republican charged in election subversion case elected RNC committeeman

Watch: Judge Luttig weighs in on Trump immunity claim

Monday 29 April 2024 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

OAN restracts false story about Michael Cohen

Monday 29 April 2024 22:23 , Oliver O'Connell

Rightwing news outlet OAN has agreed to a legal settlement and to retract a false article about former Trump fixer Michael Cohen.

Cohen’s lawyer Danya Perry tweeted: “Today OAN has announced it is retracting a false story about my client @MichaelCohen212. This is a total vindication for Mr. Cohen -- and a warning: Mr. Cohen is telling the truth, and there will be legal consequences for those who lie about him.”

Trump hails DeSantis support

Monday 29 April 2024 22:17 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis are back together again after their bitter primary fight at the start of the year.

The former president posted on Truth Scoial that he is “very happy to have the full and enthusiastic support” of the Florida governor following their meeting on Sunday.

Hillary Clinton trolls Kristi Noem over dog execution

Monday 29 April 2024 22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Hillary Clinton has become the latest figure to troll South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem over her shocking admission that she executed her dog because it was “untrainable”.

On Monday morning, the former secretary of state and 2016 presidential candidate reshared a 2021 post on X reading: “Don’t vote for anyone you wouldn’t trust with your dog.”

“Still true,” Ms Clinton wrote alongside the post.

Martha McHardy reports:

Hillary Clinton wades in on Kristi Noem’s shocking confession about shooting dog

Hunter Biden takes fight to Fox News

Monday 29 April 2024 21:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Hunter Biden’s attorneys anticipate an “imminent” lawsuit against Fox News and its associated streaming service Fox Nation and have requested that top personalities at the network preserve documents.

Attorneys for the president’s son cited statements made by Fox personalities including Jessie Watters and Maria Bartiromo in a lengthy letter sent to Fox attorneys last week and shared with The Independent on Monday.

John Bowden reports:

Hunter Biden threatens to sue Fox News over hacked photos coverage

Trump often suggested executing his rivals, says Barr

Monday 29 April 2024 21:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Bill Barr has claimed Donald Trump often suggested executing his political rivals during heated moments of his four-year tenure in the White House.

Former White House communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin told The View back in December that Mr Trump once called for a staff member to be put to death for leaking a story about the then-president going down to a bunker during Black Lives Matter protests in summer 2020.

Former Trump administration attorney general Mr Barr was asked about the claims during an interview on CNN last week.

Joe Sommerlad has the story:

Bill Barr says Trump often suggested executing rivals in heated White House outbursts

How secure were Trump’s classified documents at Mar-a-Lago? Not very according to one witness...

Monday 29 April 2024 20:45 , Oliver O'Connell

According to a witness, a coat hanger or a “very tiny screwdriver” could be used to unlock the Mar-a-Lago storage room where Donald Trump stored classified documents.

The claim was made by the unidentified witness in an interview with FBI agents in January 2023, according to new documents, which were released as part of an ongoing effort by Mr Trump and his co-defendants to make additional evidence gathered by special counsel Jack Smith public.

The revelation could undercut Mr Trump’s claims that the documents, which are believed to have contained sensitive government information, were always secured while they were at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Martha McHardy has the story:

A coat hanger could be used to unlock room where Trump ‘kept classified documents’

Trump-DeSantis meeting about money, sources say

Monday 29 April 2024 20:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The hours-long meeting was set up with the aim of brokering a truce — and with the aim of convincing the Florida governor to tap into his substantial network of donors ahead of the general election this autumn, according to The Washington Post.

Gustaf Kilander has the details:

Meeting between Trump and DeSantis was about money; DeSantis won’t be VP, sources say

Trump and DeSantis ‘make amends’ during private Miami meeting

Monday 29 April 2024 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump and Florida governor Ron DeSantis have met privately for the first time since their bruising battle in the Republican presidential primaries.

The 77-year-old former US president and Mr DeSantis, 45, appeared to put their bitter feud aside as they met in Miami on Sunday to talk about how they could work together ahead of November’s election.

The meeting was “set at the request of governor DeSantis”, whose hopes of winning the White House were dashed in the primaries, a Trump campaign official told The Washington Post.

James Liddell has the story:

Trump and DeSantis ‘make amends’ during meeting following bitter feud

Monday 29 April 2024 19:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump defence team try to pick holes in David Pecker’s ‘catch and kill’ testimony

Monday 29 April 2024 19:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward reports:

Donald Trump’s defence attorneys have tried to undermine trial testimony from one of the alleged architects of the scheme to buy up politically damaging stories about Mr Trump to boost his chances of winning the 2016 presidential election.

Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, the first witness in the former president’s historic hush money trial, faced a barrage of “yes” or “no” questions during cross-examination from Mr Trump’s lawyer Emil Bove on Thursday and Friday in an attempt to poke holes in his week-long testimony.

But Mr Bove’s attempts to impeach Mr Pecker’s credibility fell flat, as the former publisher repeatedly affirmed his under-oath descriptions of his meetings with Mr Trump.

Read on...

Trump’s attorneys try to pick holes in David Pecker’s ‘catch and kill’ testimony

Watch: Hunter Biden planning to sue Fox News, NBC reports

Monday 29 April 2024 18:44 , Oliver O'Connell

Comment: Yes, Trump may lose his hush money trial – but he’s got bigger things to worry about

Monday 29 April 2024 18:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Jon Sopel writes:

Hell hath no fury like a Donald Trump forced to spend all day in a dingy, cold courtroom at 100 Centre Street in downtown Manhattan. Here on the 15th floor, he has spent the last two weeks fulminating. But he can’t do that while the court is in session. Here, it is Judge Juan Merchan who is in charge, not the former president. Here, the president has to do what he’s told.

Continue reading...

Trump may lose his hush money trial – but it’s not his biggest problem | Jon Sopel

‘I think the whole thing is a crock’: Lindsey Graham jumps to Trump’s defence over hush money trial

Monday 29 April 2024 17:45 , Oliver O'Connell

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham leaped to Donald Trump’s defence on Sunday as he dismissed the former president’s New York hush money trial as “a crock”.

The longtime Mr Trump ally appeared on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday where he railed against the trial and branded the former president’s long list of legal woes as examples of “selective prosecution” – but declined to say that he should have full immunity from criminal prosecution.

Gustaf Kilander reports:

Lindsey Graham jumps to Trump’s defence over NY trial: ‘The whole thing is a crock’

Arizona state senator indicted in fake electors scheme elected to RNC role

Monday 29 April 2024 17:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Jake Hoffman, the Arizona state senator named as one of the so-called fake electors charged in the state’s 2020 election subversion case, has been elected to the Arizona Republican National Committee.

“I’m humbled and honored to have been elected as the next RNC National Committeeman for Arizona!,” Mr Hoffman said in a post on X over the weekend.

Here’s Kelly Rissman’s breakdown of the case and who is involved:

Who are the 18 indicted co-conspirators in the Arizona fake electors’ scheme?

Recap: Trump and DeSantis ‘make amends’ during private Miami meeting following bitter primary feud

Monday 29 April 2024 16:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Here’s more on our top story today from James Liddell.

Trump and DeSantis ‘make amends’ during meeting following bitter feud

Trump too ‘busy taking himself down’ for Biden to need a big political strategy against him, ex-staffer says

Monday 29 April 2024 15:30 , Joe Sommerlad

According to President Biden’s former chief of staff Ron Klain, Trump is making enough of a hash of things himself for his successor to have to worry about curating a “big political strategy” to beat him this November.

Dark Brandon can simply stand back, fold his arms and enjoy the spectacle, Klain argues.

Here’s James Liddell’s report.

Trump too ‘busy taking himself down’ for Biden to need a strategy against him,

Supreme Court denies Trump advisor Navarro’s bid for release

Monday 29 April 2024 14:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The Supreme Court has denied the latest bid by Trump advisor Peter Navarro to be released from prison pending the appeal of his conviction for contempt of Congress.

Navarro was sentenced to four months in prison for defying a subpoena from the House select committee investigating the events of January 6.

Kristi Noem doubles-down amid dog killing controversy

Monday 29 April 2024 14:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Trump’s potential VP has spent a busy weekend firefighting the confession in her new memoir that she murdered her puppy Cricket, which she somehow assumed would be interpreted as strong leadership.

Ariana Baio has more from the South Dakota governor and dental practice endorser.

Kristi Noem doubles-down over dog killing saying she was being ‘responsible’

Trump led a ‘violent insurrection’ but McConnell still voting for him

Monday 29 April 2024 14:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Like Bill Barr, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell has said he will vote for the man he holds personally responsible for leading a “violent insurrection” at his workplace, the US Capitol.

Here’s John Bowden with more on McConnell’s insistence that 2+2=5.

Trump led a ‘violent insurrection’ but I’ll still vote for him, says McConnell

Eric Trump praises father’s ‘stamina’ at New York trial

Monday 29 April 2024 13:30 , Joe Sommerlad

This gushing tribute to the old man’s fortitude was all too easily shot down, as in the tweet below, given the defendant’s constant griping about every aspect of life in Judge Juan Merchan’s courtroom.

Amazingly, it wasn’t even the silliest thing said on Fox News over the weekend.

Trump is a hero for going to Chick-Fil-A, claims Jeanine Pirro.

‘Trump may lose his hush money trial – but it’s not his biggest worry’

Monday 29 April 2024 13:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The former president’s public image may take a bruising in New York, writes Jon Sopel, but his eyes will be fixed firmly on the Supreme Court in Washington – and the promise of immunity.

Trump may lose his hush money trial – but it’s not his biggest problem | Jon Sopel

Truth Social: Trump posts ‘STOP THE PROTESTS NOW!!!’

Monday 29 April 2024 12:45 , Joe Sommerlad

Here he is, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, pushing back on American citizens’ constitutional right to protest.

And here he is wading in, without much sensitivity, to the Israel-Hamas conflict to once more insist that 7 October would never have happened if he had been in office.

New York hush money trial: Key takeaways from first week of testimony

Monday 29 April 2024 12:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Trump’s trial is not happening on Monday but will be back tomorrow with more testimony from banker Gary Farro and others.

Here’s Kelly Rissman on what we learned from week one proper.

Key takeaways from the first week of Trump’s trial testimony

Barr: Angry Trump often proposed executing his rivals

Monday 29 April 2024 12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

I don’t know what’s more chilling about this revelation from Trump’s former US attorney general Bill Barr: that the 45th president said this sort of thing at the White House or that Barr plans to vote for him again in November anyway.

Here’s Kelly Rissman’s report on Barr’s recent declaration of support for a man he once compared to a “nine-year-old child” (three years older than Biden placed him).

Bill Barr reveals he will vote for Trump despite once calling him a 9-year-old child

Trump invites himself to the White House to debate Biden

Monday 29 April 2024 11:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The former president turned criminal defendant has suddenly begun to put pressure on his successor to debate him, despite refusing to appear on stage with his rivals for the Republican nomination last year.

Speaking outside of Manhattan Criminal Court on Friday, he proposed the White House as the ideal venue for such a contest, which Biden has said he is more than willing to be part of.

Here’s more on Trump’s challenge from Andrew Feinberg, Eric Garcia and Josh Marcus.

Trump invites himself to the White House to debate Biden

Biden trails Trump in poll showing RFK Jr winning one in six voters

Monday 29 April 2024 11:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s more from John Bowden on CNN’s latest poll suggesting RFK Jr is having a serious impact on the presidential race, no doubt a major factor behind Trump’s sustained attack on the Kennedy family’s black sheep over the weekend.

Biden trails Trump in poll showing RFK Jr winning one in six voters

‘Stormy weather’: Biden pokes fun at Trump at White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Monday 29 April 2024 10:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Another target of Trump’s fury was Saturday Night Live regular Colin Jost, who roasted him remorselessly at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday evening.

Notoriously thin-skinned, there’s no way the Republican was going to take jokes like these with good grace.

Trump refused to attend the event when he was commander-in-chief after being mocked remorselessly in person by Barack Obama when he did go in 2011, with the 44th president riotouslessly sending up the Republican’s ludicrous “birther” conspiracy theory of the time.

President Biden also got in on the act on Saturday, teasing his election rival by saying his hush money trial had left him facing “Stormy weather”, nicknamed him “Sleepy Don” for dozing in court and admitted that age was an issue in the race for the White House after all: “I’m a grown man running against a six-year-old”.

Here’s more on the night from Ariana Baio.

Biden quips Trump is facing ‘Stormy weather’ at White House Correspondents’ dinner

Truth Social: Trump spends weekend lashing out at enemies

Monday 29 April 2024 10:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The former president was otherwise busy this weekend attacking his numerous enemies on his social media platform, going after everyone from President Biden to California governor Gavin “Newscum” while getting in jabs at outgoing Utah senator Mitt Romney and even Bill Maher and Howard Stern.

He reserved particular venom for independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr, however, amid recent polling indicating the anti-vaxxer is attracting the support of potential Trump voters.

Here’s Ariana Baio with more on his angry reaction to RFK Jr, who has claimed he was approached by the Trump campaign to be the Orange One’s running mate.

Trump calls RFK Jr ‘wasted protest vote’ after strong polling with Republicans

Trump and DeSantis meet in Miami to bury hatchet after bitter primary rivalry

Monday 29 April 2024 09:35 , Joe Sommerlad

Donald Trump is understood to have met with Florida governor Ron DeSantis in Miami on Sunday in order to resolve their differences after a bruising primary rivalry in time for November’s presidential election.

DeSantis’s campaign for the GOP nomination ended in disappointment in January after failing to live up to expectations and after he was brutally taunted by the former president, who now hopes to capitalise on his influence with Sunshine State conservative donors and sat down with him for an hours-long meeting to bury the hatchet, according to The Washington Post.

Trump has consistently fallen behind President Joe Biden’s fundraising efforts so far and is exploring all avenues as he seeks to make up the difference.

Although the front-runner ridiculed DeSantis throughout the campaign – taking credit for his election to the governor’s mansion, mocking him for wearing heeled cowboy boots to appear taller and calling him “Ron DeSanctimonious” and “Meatball Ron” – the governor endorsed Trump for the presidency when he announced the suspension of his campaign.

The pair have reportedly not spoken since, however, and DeSantis was branded “a sad little man” in February by Trump campaign aide Chris LaCivita after criticising the candidate.

Sunday’s detente was intended to bring an end to that animosity between the two men.

Good morning!

Monday 29 April 2024 09:15 , Joe Sommerlad

Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Donald Trump’s race for the White House and numerous legal entanglements.

The Republican presidential candidate’s New York hush money trial is in recess on Monday but, never fear, there’s plenty more going on in Trumpworld to keep us occupied.