Over the first few weeks of the trial, the scene outside the Manhattan courthouse has largely settled into a routine — a few dozen members of the public, a typically small group of demonstrators and the journalists covering the day-to-day developments. But the arrival of Stormy Daniels seems to have shifted that equilibrium.
With Daniels set to retake the stand on Thursday, a far larger share of the public has amassed outside 100 Center Street, along with new ranks of media from the US and abroad. A few minutes before 8 am, as the complex system of lines swelled to its longest point since the start of the trial, court officers said they had no choice but to turn people away.
Rose Brennan, 63, of New Jersey waits in line for President Donald Trump’s hush Monday trial with Donald J. Puppet on Thursday, May 9, 2024. (Melissa Goldin via AP)
Among the members of the public in line was Rose Brennan, a 63-year-old woman wearing a hand puppet meant to resemble Donald Trump. “He has accompanied me on many adventures,” she said of the puppet. “Even though I hoped he would have been retired by now.”
She said she and the puppet traveled from New Jersey, arriving outside the courthouse at 5:30 am because “I just want to be a witness to history.”
