The circus that is Donald Trump‘s hush money trial has managed to outdo itself once again, as one juror has already been excused thanks to a certain Fox News host who couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
The dismissed juror, whose identity was meant to remain anonymous (spoiler alert: it didn’t), expressed concerns after people from their close circle managed to deduce their involvement in the trial through press accounts. Fox News host Jesse Watters, in his infinite wisdom, took it upon himself to analyze each juror’s profile during his Tuesday night broadcast. “She’s not married, has no kids and lives with her fiancé who works in finance,” he reported.
But Watters wasn’t content with merely revealing personal details about the juror ⏤ he questioned whether this juror could be fair and impartial. Why? Because she has the audacity to get her news from reputable sources like The New York Times, Google, and CNN. Clearly, in the world of Fox News, consuming anything other than their own brand of “fair and balanced” reporting is a cardinal sin.
The juror in question, a nurse from the Upper East Side, was understandably less than thrilled about having her details broadcast to the world. This ill-advised decision not only undermined the juror’s privacy, but also called into question the ability of the court to maintain the security of those tasked with deciding the fate of the former president. As a result of this fiasco, the juror was excused from the trial by Justice Juan Merchan. Clearly fed up with the media circus, the judge asked the courtroom reporters to be mindful. Too little, too late, perhaps, but at least someone is trying to maintain some semblance of order.
The dismissal of the juror is just one more twist in a trial that has been anything but ordinary. Out of the 96 prospective jurors, 57 were excused. Perhaps they simply couldn’t fathom the depths of Trump’s ego. However, as per reports, 11 more jurors will be sworn in by next week.
Meanwhile, star of the show Donald Trump seems determined to make things even more difficult for himself, with prosecutors now wanting to fine him for his social media posts. The toddler has been throwing tantrums against the jurors on Truth Social, and when he’s not in court, continues to stew over that joke Jimmy Kimmel made about him at the Oscars. It’s a sad state of affairs when a former president can’t follow basic court orders, but perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised considering that the victim card is the only one he has to play. It’s even sadder when the conservative media enables this delusion, but then again, would we expect anything less?