NEW YORK — A media spectacle was inevitable. How could it not be, for the first ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president? So journalists across the world have descended on a decidedly unglamorous state courthouse in lower Manhattan to cover Donald Trump’s hush money trial. Many non-journalists — curious members of the public along with pro-Trump politicians — have also found themselves drawn to the proceedings.
But attending the Trump trial hasn’t been easy. We’ve had to maneuver through Secret Service agents policing the courthouse; dictatorial rules against coffee in the courtroom; and hallways filled with warnings about asbestos.
As the Trump trial winds down, we’ve finally developed a series of hacks to make the process as painless as possible. Now we know the answer to questions like: Should I pack a tent to set up on a New York City sidewalk at 3 a.m. to ensure a spot in line? Can I really bring myself to eat in the bathroom?
No one said covering history would be pretty. Here’s what we’ve learned about how to survive the Trump trial:
The VIP Line
The fundamental requirement for media coverage, of course, is to get a seat at the trial. But that wasn’t a given. Some of us were lucky enough to get a reserved courtroom seat through our media outlet, and that allowed us to show up at the fairly reasonable time of 7 a.m. and breeze through security; the VIP line was right next to the entrance at 100 Centre St.
That was where we could see Rachel Maddow, Anderson Cooper and a host of other cable news personalities and pundits who stopped by on occasion while we stood next to the scaffolding and awaited a ticket from court officers that guaranteed a seat.
It was the closest thing to first-class treatment at a New York City courthouse, though instead of champagne and caviar, our meal options were mostly deli coffee and the “dollar dumplings” spots in nearby Chinatown.
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