Trump's tale about Manhattan court workers crying and apologizing at his arraignment isn't true, source says

Fox News host Tucker Carlson sat down with former President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida for an hourlong interview broadcast Tuesday night that was supposed to be about his arrest and arraignment in Manhattan the previous week but ended up focusing on whatever Trump wanted to talk about, with little pushback from Carlson. Trump did discuss his experience getting booked at his arraignment, but his version included a lot of sobbing court workers apologizing to him for his arrest.
The courthouse is "a tough, tough place, and they were crying," Trump said. "They were actually crying. They said, 'I'm sorry.' They said, '2024, sir. 2024.' And tears were pouring down their eyes."
You may be surprised to learn that none of that happened, at least according to a law enforcement source who spoke with Yahoo News' Michael Isikoff. Trump's story is "absolute BS," the official said. "There were zero people crying. There were zero people saying 'I'm sorry.'" In fact, Trump barely interacted with anybody at the courthouse other than his lawyers, Secret Service detail, and a handful of district attorney employees, the official said, and the only hiccup was when Trump's fingers had to be moistened with lotion because they were too dry to fingerprint.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Along with sitting through Trump's sobbing story about court workers, Carlson let the former president "prattle on at will" about "the various 'hoax' investigations to which he'd been subjected and his false assertions about the cease-fire in Afghanistan and the classified documents recovered from Mar-a-Lago by the FBI," Philip Bump writes at The Washington Post. Stephen Colbert's Late Show turned Trump's fawning description of Chinese President Xi Jinping into an '80s hit by Roxette.
But perhaps "the most telling part" of Carlson's "fundamentally obsequious" interview was when he said he thought viewers will find that what Trump "has to say moderate, sensible, and wise," Bump says. "This was sharply reminiscent of how Carlson described Ye, the musician formerly known as Kanye West, when he interviewed him in October," before showing an interview in which Carlson's team had "edited out much of Ye's most bizarre and disconcerting commentary" to make him sound like "a wise, sober opponent of the American elite." One "obvious question" about Carlson's Trump interview, he adds, is: what might he have left out "to present the former president as favorably as possible?"
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
5 precariously peaceful cartoons about the Gaza ceasefire
Cartoons Political cartoonists on the chance for peace in the Middle East
-
Is New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s plan for free buses realistic?
Talking Points A transit innovation or a costly mistake
-
5 side hustle ideas to supplement your budget
the explainer Almost two-thirds of Americans are looking to get a second job in the next year
-
DOJ indicts John Bolton over classified files
Speed Read Continuing the trend of going after his political enemies, Trump prosecutes his former national security adviser
-
Trump, Putin set summit as Zelenskyy lands in DC
Speed Read Trump and Putin have agreed to meet in Budapest soon to discuss ending the war in Ukraine
-
Courts deal setbacks to Trump’s Chicago operations
Speed Read President Donald Trump cannot deploy the National Guard in Illinois
-
‘The illusion of wealth can encourage people to take on more debt’
instant opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Pentagon reporters turn in badges after refusing rules
Speed Read They refused to sign a restrictive new press policy imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
-
Supreme Court points to gutting Voting Rights Act
speed read States would no longer be required to consider race when drawing congressional maps
-
Trump says he authorized covert CIA ops in Venezuela
Speed Read He is also considering military strikes inside the country
-
Are inflatable costumes and naked bike rides helping or hurting ICE protests?
Talking Points Trump administration efforts to portray Portland and Chicago as dystopian war zones have been met with dancing frogs, bare butts and a growing movement to mock MAGA doomsaying