The civil trial to determine how much Donald Trump will be punished for decades of fraud in New York kicked off this week, and one thing became immediately clear: The former reality TV host really thought he'd be able to turn this into a campaign spectacle.
Even though he had no obligation to show up in court, Trump appeared with great fanfare Monday morning, luring a bevy of cameras to the hallway outside of the courtroom. Every chance he got, he held forth at length into the microphones, clearly expecting rapt audiences to hang onto his every word, swooning at the great injustice of watching a lifelong con artist finally face the music. After three days, however, even Trump quietly concluded that this was less "Apprentice: Season One" and more the season where Leeza Gibbons beat Ian Ziering for the prize of never having to talk to Donald Trump again. (I'm assuming. Like nearly every American, I didn't watch it.) Unable to generate interest in his incoherent ravings outside the courtroom doors, Trump turned tail and fled back to Florida. Hopefully, his body being ejected from New York is a precursor to the end of all his commercial business in the state.
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