All right.
We do have breaking news,
a whole lot going on.
All of a sudden
inside the closing arguments
in the defamation damages
trial against Donald Trump.
Trump walked into the courtroom late.
He walked out when the plaintiffs
were delivering their closing arguments.
At one point,
the judge had to warn defense lawyers
they were close
to being thrown in the lock up.
Let's get right to CNN's Kara Scannell,
who ran out from inside that courtroom
to give us an explanation
of what was going on Kara.
What have you been seeing
Yeah, John, an eventful day
this morning, to say the least.
That had nothing to do
with even the closing arguments.
So began, as you say,
when Donald Trump's team
was already late,
which the judge noted
when he took the bench.
Then Donald Trump
did enter the courtroom
and they were arguing
still before the jury
even got in there
about a slide
that Trump's team wanted to use
in their presentation.
And Carol's lawyers said
it included things
that were not in evidence in the case.
The judge said it was out.
That's when Trump's attorney Alina Habba
stood up to challenge
the judge on his ruling.
He's made it very clear
throughout this trial,
when he rules, he rules, and that's it.
She started to challenge him.
He hit his limit
and said,
you are on the verge
of spending some time in the lockup.
Now sit down.
Now, then, at this point,
we were moving into closing arguments.
The jury was brought in.
And Carol,
team started their statements
by telling the jury
what this case was about,
these statements
that Donald Trump had made.
And she was
Carol's attorney, Roberta Kaplan,
was specifically saying at this moment
that Trump didn't
respect the jury verdict last year
and that he hasn't even respected it.
He didn't even respect it for 24 hours,
because that's
when he went on the CNN town
hall repeating the statements
that the jury had just
found to be defamatory.
It was at that moment
that Trump got up from his seat
just stood up,
turned and walked out
of the courtroom abruptly.
That moment, the judge interrupted
Carol's attorney,
saying, for the record,
for the court
reporter to say that Donald Trump had
just got up and left the courtroom,
and then Carol's lawyer
continue doing her closing arguments
and on the closing arguments, on
the merit of this
case, is reminding the jury
that Trump is not above the law,
that anyone should be held responsible
for statements anyone else would.
And so Donald Trump should.
Also,
they are asking the jury to award, Carol,
more than $12 million
in this case
Don to Trump ever walk back in
Carol that you saw
no Trump hasn't returned.
One of his lawyers,
Boris Epstein,
who works with him
on the campaign,
did walk back into the courtroom
at one point
and was standing
and the judge told him, calling him out
by name to sit down.
So the judge is not taking
any more interruptions in this case.
And we have not seen Donald
Trump up here.
We also haven't seen the motorcade leave.
So it appears to
still be in the courthouse,
just not in the courtroom.
So he's somewhere
presumably inside
that courthouse may be waiting
for when his attorneys
present their closing arguments.
Any sense of when that will begin?
So, Carol, seem
as though they would go for about an hour
and they had a little bit
of a late start.
So she probably has a bit more to go.
But then we do expect, Alina,
that Trump's attorney
to do her closing statement.
They also estimate that will be an hour
and then the judge
will instruct the jury.
So I think we are going to look to see
if he does return when his lawyer
is giving the statements.
But what's so interesting,
John, at the outset of this,
the judge said he didn't want anyone,
not the parties,
not the not the individuals
and no one in the courtroom
to do anything to interrupt
these closing arguments.
Well, let's see how that's gone so far.
I mean, obviously,
an eventful morning, as you say.
It's terrific
having you explain to us
what you're seeing here,
because it is it unfolding,
I think, as the judge was hoping
Kara Scannell outside
court will let you get back inside.
Keep us posted.
I want to bring in former U.S.
attorney Harry Litman
to think through this case with us.
First of all,
the judge
literally threatened Trump's attorneys
with jail
time, potentially
because of their rule
breaking antics in court,
never mind their clients antics in court.
How might this all affect the jury?
Because in the end,
they're the ones that decide what these
damages are going to be.
And her lawyer
has been very savvy in showing them
they have the power.
They alone have the responsibility.
Now, the comment that
we just heard
didn't happen in front of the jury,
but he has plenty of times
upgraded her in front of the jury.
And I just want to say about Trump's exit
today, you know,
that might be a surprise
or drama on TV
in real life in federal court.
It is mind boggling
It just doesn't happen.
And, of course,
it just
drips with contempt
for the whole process,
for the plaintiff, for the jury.
It's almost calculated.
First,
he proves the very point
that that the lawyer was saying
he thinks the rules don't apply to him.
Everybody.
Everybody
sit still
and respectfully for a closing argument.
And it virtually begs the jury
to impose stratospheric punitive damages.
I know that you've been
in plenty of courtrooms,
and I've certainly bring
and plenty
of federal courtrooms watching cases.
And I've never seen anything like that.
Some people might say
this is something
that rhymes with a sketch show.
But Carole's attorney
told jurors to decide
what it will take
to get Donald Trump to stop.
What do you think
that will do when the jury hears that?
And John just mentioned
it was something
about what happened before, but also
what was happening right then.
Right.
And there's two parts to it.
One, his utter
and cord's ability and nastiness
repeating it again and again.
But also
and they've entered into evidence here
as well, probably, in fact,
and ironically,
inflated accounts of his wealth.
So I don't know if there's a calculator
high enough for what
they might be thinking about.
They you know,
at the end of the day, you know,
they'll be an issue on appeal,
whether maybe they went too high,
but really they're just completely,
I think, given the freedom.
But but a sort of sober task of really
what could make him stop.
It's only money. So how high can you go?