Donald Trump was reportedly “irritated” when judge Moxila Upadhyaya referred to him as “Mr. Trump” rather than “Mr. President” at his arraignment on Thursday, and he departed the court in DC in a “sour and dejected mood.”
Trump, who holds the title of president, “was, quote, ‘pissed off,’ according to someone who spoke to him,” CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reported after the former commander-in-chief pleaded not guilty to a four-count indictment on Thursday.
“I’m learning tonight that Trump left here in a sour and dejected mood,” she added.
“I am told that the former president, one thing that irked him particularly, was during that hearing today that lasted about 27 minutes, was when the magistrate judge referred to him as simply ‘Mr. Trump,’” Collins continued.
“That may not sound odd to anyone else, but he is still referred to by his former title ‘President Trump’ when he’s at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey, as he is tonight, or at Mar-a-Lago,” the anchor of “The Source” told viewers.
Following the arraignment yesterday, individuals were quick to speculate on social media about whether Trump might be upset by the judge’s everyman greeting.
“Wow. The Judge presiding over today’s arraignment said, Good afternoon, Mr. Trump,” Democratic analyst Victor Shi tweeted.
“There was no mention of Donald Trump being a former president. There will be no special treatment. As if he were just another man in a courtroom. This is the best example of the rule of law,” he continued.
John Santucci, an ABC News producer, also remarked how the court addressed Trump.
“If there’s one thing I know Trump enjoys, it’s being addressed as Mr. President,” he tweeted.
Others, though, thought Trump had every right to feel betrayed.
“Every other president would have been addressed as ‘President’ rather than ‘Mr.’… Let’s be honest,” said Henry Rodgers, chief national correspondent for the right-wing Daily Caller.
Trump, 77, shook his head slightly in the courtroom when US Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadyaha read out the docket number and said, “United States v. Donald J. Trump.”
He then pleaded not guilty to charges that he participated in criminal conspiracies to undermine the outcome of the 2020 presidential election and retain himself in power.
“When you look at what’s happening, this is a persecution of a political opponent,” Trump addressed to reporters at Regan National Airport in a brief remark.
“In America, this was never meant to happen. This is the persecution of the person who is leading by very large margins in the Republican primary and is far ahead of Biden,” he continued.
Trump later struck a different tone and declared in a full-caps, defiant post that he had a “very good day.”
“CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT I HAD TO FLY TO A FILTHY, DIRTY, FALLING APART, & VERY UNSAFE WASHINGTON, D.C., TODAY, & THAT I WAS THEN ARRESTED BY MY POLITICAL OPPONENT, WHO IS LOSING BADLY TO ME IN THE POLLS, CROOKED JOE BIDEN, IT WAS A VERY GOOD DAY!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
