Former President Donald Trump’s defense team found themselves under fire from Republican lawmakers, and apparently the former president was not very happy either.
As the Senate kicked off the impeachment trial on Tuesday, the former president was able to catch moments on TV in between his scheduled meetings meant to keep him busy, according to The New York Times.
Trump, who keeps hearings on in the background of meetings, was reportedly angry with his two lawyers during their remarks at Tuesday’s trial. He “was an eight” on a scale with 10 being the most furious.
“Mr. Trump ended the day frustrated and irate,” Times reports, citing a person familiar with Trump’s reaction to the trial.
While Trump has faced impeachment before, this time things are different.
Throughout Trump’s presidency he has used social media, especially Twitter, to reach his followers and express what came to his mind on topics — without constraints.
Now, the former president is not able to respond in his traditional way, using Twitter to blast lawmakers he disagreed with or slam the trial as the “greatest witch hunt.” He is also not able to influence the trial by tweeting out his thoughts in real-time. Trump was permanently banned from Twitter.
On Tuesday, the Senate voted 56 to 44 to declare the impeachment trial constitutional. Several Republican lawmakers expressed their disappointment in Trump’s legal team’s defense.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said, “I was perplexed by the first attorney, who did not seem to make any arguments at all, which was an unusual approach to take.”
Additionally, Alan Dershowitz, one of Trump’s attorneys, tore into Trump’s legal team’s strategy, saying, “There is no argument. I have no idea what he’s doing. I have no idea why he’s saying what he’s saying.”
“Come on, the American people are entitled to an argument, a constitutional argument,” he added during an appearance on Newsmax.
One of Trump’s attorneys, David Schoen, responded to the criticism from lawmakers, telling USA Today, “I’m sorry he felt that way. I’ll have to do better next time.”
This is the first-ever trial of a former president. It will continue on Wednesday with arguments from the House impeachment managers and Trump’s defense team.