Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@anthonyfkern
Topics: Crime, Donald Trump, Money, Politics, US News
Kit Roberts
Topics: Crime, Donald Trump, Money, Politics, US News
Big moments in history are often punctuated by bizarre or amusing features.
Whether it's the insane amount of booze that the founding fathers put away before signing the Constitution, or the fact that Abraham Lincoln was built like tank, these things are the little moments in history which lend it humanity.
And it's fair to say that the trial of Donald Trump - the first time a former president has faced a criminal charge - is a big moment in US history.
Advert
Trump is facing multiple fraud charges, namely that he misrepresented his net worth by billions of dollars in order to secure bank loans.
He is also among 19 people charged with conspiracy to overturn the US state's election results in 2020.
His other charges include solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, conspiring to commit impersonating a public officer, conspiring to commit forgery, conspiring to commit false statements, and writing and conspiring to file false documents.
The former president has denied the allegations and has pleaded not guilty, with him telling the court: "Banks loved our business, they loved our deals, they weren't defrauded.
"They made a lot of money, and they considered me a very good client."
But one moment in the courtroom has ended up being the subject of a tongue in cheek joke online as people make amusing comparisons, with one person joking: "This feels like a scene outta The Office."
The video, which shows the former president in court, pans round to Justice Arthur Engoron, who looks at the camera, takes off his glasses and shrugs in a whimsical manner, as if to say 'this guy!'
All this is dubbed over with the theme from Cheers.
People were quick to comment on the bizarre moment, with one writing: "Judge is the main character of his own sitcom."
And another pointed out: "Major Office vibes."
The case against Trump has been brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Speaking ahead of the trial, James said that 'no one is above the law', and that she was confident that 'justice will prevail'.
Trump has pledged that he will appear in court 'to fight for my name and reputation', as well as claiming that the trial constitutes 'election interference' as it clashes with his appearances on the campaign trail for the 2024 presidential election.
Trump is the current frontrunner for the Republican primary, and is running for his second term in office.
He said: "I've been sitting in a courthouse all day long instead of being in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina or a lot of other places I could be at.
"This is a horrible situation for our country. It's election interference."
Many of his followers continue to believe that he actually won the 2020 election, while also believing that this is no obstacle to him running for a 'third' term.
NBC reported that Trump had appeared to become 'very upset' during the trial, describing his face as 'turning beet red' during the proceedings.