Trump might be hoping for a mistrial as hush-money case winds down

For Trump, a mistrial “might be nearly as good as an acquittal,” Politico wrote. The judge would be forced to declare a mistrial if the jury can’t reach a unanimous decision, and the prosecution could opt to try Trump again. But that would introduce significant delays that benefit Trump’s team, which has sought to stall his legal troubles until after the November presidential election, when Trump — if reelected — would be in an unprecedented position to terminate the federal cases against him.

Trump’s defense did score some points while cross-examining Michael Cohen, the prosecution’s primary witness whose testimony is key to the case. Cohen was always deemed a problematic witness, given that he is a disbarred attorney and a convicted perjurer, and “Trump’s lawyers need to create reasonable doubt in the minds of just one juror to open the possibility of a hung jury or an acquittal,” CNN’s political reporter Stephen Collinson wrote. However, that seems unlikely, CNN’s legal analyst Norman Eisen argued, and the case is still the prosecution’s to lose.

This criminal trial has become “a miniature version of the Republican National Convention,” MSNBC columnist Hayes Brown wrote, “providing a venue for GOP elites and wannabes alike to share Trump’s spotlight in hope of currying his favor.” As of Monday, more than 30 Republicans, including vice presidential hopefuls like North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, as well as House Speaker Mike Johnson — had made the trek to Manhattan to stand by Trump. Their attendance doesn’t just prove loyalty to a potential president; they’re also there to criticize the people Trump’s gag order bars him from talking about and to undermine the integrity of the case.