Coverage of Donald Trump’s Courtroom Campaign

Donald Trump was under criminal investigation from the moment he left the White House in January 2021. Ultimately, he would be indicted in four separate cases, and his decision to run for president again was motivated, at least in part, by his desire to politicize—and if possible, escape—his legal peril. In addition to the criminal cases, Trump also faced a series of civil lawsuits that involved accusations of financial fraud, sexual assault, and serial defamation. Rather than attempting to minimize these damaging allegations, Trump did everything he could to draw the public’s attention to the legal “witch hunt,” choosing to attend even the most routine hearings. His 2024 campaign ran through a series of courtrooms.

At the beginning of 2024, my editors at New York assigned me to cover the Trump trials. For much of the time, I was partnered with a talented artist, Isabelle Brourman, whose phantasmagorical courtroom sketch work illustrated many of my stories. (That’s one of her sketches above.) Inside the courtrooms, I was able to watch an unprecedented attempt to hold a former president legally accountable for his alleged crimes, as well as Trump’s defense, which amounted to an effort to turn the deliberative mechanisms of the justice system to his own advantage. “For all Trump’s complaints that his opponents are practicing lawfare,” I wrote in a cover story that was published the day of opening arguments in his Manhattan criminal trial, “his endgame strategy amounts to nullification on a grand scale. He’s betting that 270 votes in the Electoral College will override the verdict of any jury of 12.”

The stories below represent my attempt to capture the history of an attempt to try a former president as it unfolded, and failed.

“Can Trump Break the Courts, Too?”
January 9, 2024
Trump’s bold claim of presidential immunity goes to a skeptical Washington, D.C. appeals court.

“The Fraud That Made President Trump”
January 12, 2024
Trump faces a reckoning over his business practices in his New York State civil fraud trial.

“The One Room Trump Can’t Dominate”
January 18, 2024
In a civil defamation trial, E. Jean Carroll testifies that Trump sexually assaulted her.

“What Happened When Trump Wasn’t Allowed to Lie”
January 26, 2024
Trump takes the witness stand at the Carroll defamation trial.

“Trump’s Reckoning Begins”
January 30, 2024
A jury awards Carroll $83.3 million, hitting Trump where it hurts the most—his wallet.

“Trump Finally Had a Good Day in Court”
February 9, 2024
The Supreme Court hears a case that argues Trump should be disqualified from the ballot as an insurrectionist.

“Juan Merchan is Donald Trump’s New Least Favorite Judge”
March 26, 2024
A New York State judge rules that Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan will go forward.

“In Defense of Trump”
April 22, 2024
My New York cover story on attorney Todd Blanche and the rest of Trump’s criminal defense team as they prepared for an unprecedented trial.

“A Porn Star Payoff or a Threat to Democracy?”
April 22, 2024
Opening arguments in the Manhattan trial, in which Trump faces 34 felony counts related to hush money payments.

“Donald Trump Had a Good Day in One Court” (with Nia Prater)
April 25, 2024
As Trump’s federal immunity appeal goes before a sympathetic Supreme Court, a witness gives damning testimony in his Manhattan trial.

“The Gossip Racketeers”
May 3, 2024
At the heart of Trump’s criminal trial was the tale of a sleazy caper gone wrong.

“This Isn’t the Same Stormy Daniels” (with Olivia Nuzzi)
May 9, 2024
The most damaging (and damaged) witness against Trump finally tells a jury her story.

“Michael Cohen Finally Talks Back to the Boss”
May 14, 2024
Trump’s onetime lawyer, now a vehement adversary, takes the stand to close the prosecution’s case.

“Trump’s Lawyer Asked Me How He Is Doing—Here’s My Answer”
May 19, 2024
Trump’s defense team tries to sow reasonable doubt, but their client doesn’t make it easy.

“Watching the Trump Jury”
May 29, 2024
During closing arguments, I kept my eyes fixed on the 12 anonymous New Yorkers who would decide Trump’s guilt.

“What It Was Like in Court the Moment Trump Was Convicted”
May 31, 2024
The jury reaches its verdict.

“How the Loser Won” (with Olivia Nuzzi)
June 15, 2024
An in-depth profile article on Michael Cohen, the star witness against Trump, as he completed his painful journey to vindication.

“The Weird Worth of 40 Wall Street”
October 31, 2024
There may be only one way for Trump to save his investment in the skyscraper at the center of his civil fraud lawsuit.

“Trump Beat the System”
November 6, 2024
Trump’s victory in the presidential election puts an end to his trials.

“Steve Bannon’s Second Term”
November 18, 2024
The president’s ideological warrior is out of prison and ready for retribution.

“When You Come at the King”
January 14, 2025
Trump hears his sentence, and his legal adversaries prepare for payback.