Donald Trump has two modes: attack, and pout when the attack doesn't land. But as a criminal defendant for the first time in his life, he is having to acclimate himself to an environment where he can’t make or break the rules – and where punishment for the kind of brash defiance that plays well on Truth Social could land him behind bars.
The adjustment process will no doubt be difficult. On Monday, Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the first ever prosecution of a former president, made it abundantly clear to Trump and his legal team that it will be he and the New York criminal justice system calling the shots from here on out.
