As always, I’ll do my best to live toot reports when they start. This will be the thread.

1/…🧵

Via Klasfeld:

Good morning from #NewYork.

Trump’s gagged, and his ex-accountant spills the beans.

Those are just two of the news items that came out of Day Two of the civil fraud trial.

Follow us for Day Three #TrumpTrial #legal

2/ Trump arrived at the courthouse and @atrupar posted a vid in which Trump says this AFTER a gag order was imposed on him:

Trump dehumanizes Letitia James as a "political animal"

And this AFTER his team failed to ask for a jury trial:

Trump: "If I had a jury we'd win this case very easily, but I don't have a jury ... this is the beginning of communism."

3/ Klasfeld: (ICYMI, this is a judge with a sense of humor as well as gravitas)

Trump's lawyer Jose Suarez tells the judge he's gotten the message: "I also understand that in the Great State of NY it's called a triplex," pronouncing it like "triple" instead of "tri-."

Co-counsel Chris Kise quips: "Judge, in the South, it's just called apartment."

Engoron asks if they have triplexes in South.

Kise replies: That's why we call it an apartment.

Bender's testimony begins shortly after that.

4/🙄 👉🏼After Engoron chides Trump's attorney against performative questioning by saying "There's no jury here," Trump audibly groans and mumbles a reaction.👈🏼🙄

Questioning turns to an engagement continuance form between Mazars and Trump Org from 2016-'17.

🙄 👉🏼 Trump keeps noisily (but, for those of us in the gallery, mostly inaudibly) complaining about the judge's remarks throughout the questioning. 👈🏼🙄

5/ Having a bad day, #Trump? 🎻

Via erica orden:

Trump is more animated today. Earlier, he shook his head & sighed after the judge made a quip about no jury being present. A few moments ago, he threw up his hands and muttered something after a lawyer asked the judge to instruct the witness, Donald Bender, to speak more clearly.

He is again throwing up his hands and muttering to his lawyer Alina Habba. He has been looking at papers she is handing him.

@GottaLaff this feels deliberately provocative.
@GreyAreaUK If it is, the judge will nail him
@GottaLaff I hope the judge warns him first, otherwise it arguably plays into trump’s “biased judge” rhetoric.
@GreyAreaUK The judge knows this. He’s not stupid, he’s clearly on to Trump or he wouldn’t have gagged him.