‘No one is above the law’: Protesters make presence felt outside as Trump takes the stand

A little over an hour before Donald Trump is scheduled to testify at the state supreme court in New York City, a group of people stand in the middle of the road in the front of the building.

“Invoke the 14“, they chant as car horns blare behind them. Police quickly move them behind barriers at the pavement.

There are about two dozen people there. All are opposed to the former president. Their message is that given his track record in seeking to hold on to power after losing the presidential election in 2020, he should not be permitted to run again.

The protesters are waiting for Trump to arrive to give evidence in the $250 million (€233 million) civil trial brought by authorities in New York who have contended that he and his family inflated the values of assets to secure better financial terms from banks and insurance companies.

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One of the anti-Trump protesters, Jamie Bauer, says this is the fifth time her group has been to the court in Lower Manhattan during the current proceedings.

[ Rambling and defiant Trump testifies in New York civil fraud trial ]

“He is unfit to be president because there is a clause in the US Constitution [the 14th] that says if you are an insurrectionist, you cannot hold public office.

“And right now there’s a case going on in Colorado with a constitutional challenge to his running in Colorado, and we wanted to raise this issue because this guy is a fraud. He’s an authoritarian [and] he’s dangerous. And we want to make sure the American public really understand what could happen if he became president again.”

As New York attorney general Letitia James arrives, they call out from across the street: “Thank you Tich!”

Speaking outside the courthouse, James says she is “certain” Trump will engage in insults before taking the stand, “but at the end of the day, the only thing that matters are the facts and the numbers”.

On Monday Trump again argued the case against him was politically motivated and, as predicted, criticised the attorney general.

Outside the courthouse, which is a large impressive building fronted by pillars and steep steps leading up to the front door, the camera crews are camped out.

The media contingent outnumbers the members of the public who have turned up. However, there was a larger media presence for his first criminal arraignment which took place in a court just down the street last April.

As Trump prepares to take the stand inside the court, there appear to be few, in any, of his supporters in the vicinity.

But several of his detractors plan to make their mark.

In the plaza by Paine Park opposite the courthouse, a woman writes in chalk on the ground: “No one is above the law.”

Her name is Karin Schall and she says Trump: “This person was the most corrupt president in the history of the United States”.

Nearby, Stan Sinberg has wheeled a small cart selling anti-Trump badges on to the plaza facing the court. He says he brings his stall across the country and even followed Trump when he visited Ireland.

“So I have a bandwagon here. It’s a four-sided display. And the banner headline says: ‘He’s indicted and it feels so good’.

“And there’s about 25-30 different [badges] that I have created to troll Trump and to promote democracy.These include: ‘Make United States humane again’; ‘All I Want For Christmas is Trump and an orange jumpsuit’ and ‘Imagine there’s no Maga, it’s easy if you vote’. ”