Judge Kaplan shuts down Donald Trump attorney Alina Habba

Before Donald Trump took the stand today in the E. Jean Carroll, trial, Judge Lewis Kaplan laid down the law, warning Trump about what he’s not allowed to say on the stand. If Trump ends up violating that, it’ll just result in bigger damages against him. Now the judge is making clear that he doesn’t think much of Trump attorney Alina Habba’s antics either.

When Habba called Trump to the stand, she referred to him as “President Donald Trump.” Judge Kaplan quickly interjected and spelled out that it was merely “Donald John Trump.” This may not seem like much of a thing, given that Trump isn’t even in office anymore, and honorifics aren’t going to save him in a courtroom setting. But it’s a good reminder that Trump is nothing more than a defendant in a trial. The fact that he once held a certain office isn’t a factor.

This kind of sentiment will likely carry over to Trump’s upcoming criminal trials. Trump still seems to be banking on the idea that the whole “former President” thing is somehow going to save him at trial. He even has his attorney trying to work in the verbiage during the trial. But as the judge reminded us just now, that’s simply not how anything works.