Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Tuesday, May 15, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas, and today, we’ll share with you the latest on former President Donald Trump’s ongoing trial, Speaker Mike Johnson’s fiery defense, NFL legend Lawrence Taylor’s endorsement of Trump, a crucial Second Amendment ruling, and a controversial gag order on Trump. We’ll get to all those stories, but first up, let’s have a look at the high-profile support the former president just received in court.
Speaker Mike Johnson, Vivek Ramaswamy Join Trump in Court on Tuesday
A group of elected Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, joined President Trump in New York to support him during his court case. Some high-profile GOP supporters who showed up included two rumored 2024 vice-presidential picks— North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy—along with Florida Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills. Mr. Ramaswamy called the trial a politically motivated assault, and Reps. Donalds and Mills criticized it as the “weaponized lawfare” of the Biden administration.Other supporters at the trial included Sens. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), and the attorneys general from Iowa and Alabama. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) also made an appearance.