Isabel: Let’s talk a little about the aesthetics of the photo and the strategy behind it. You wrote that the photo “is prosecutors’ deftest maneuver thus far”—and even a co-opting of Trump’s own methods. How so?
David: Trump has such a great sense for the visual. You can see this going back to his real-estate career, the elaborate spreads you get of his penthouse at Trump Tower, the aesthetics of his campaign announcement speech in 2015 where he came down the gold escalator. All of these things are a testament to how he understands that it’s one thing to say things, but it’s another thing to look a certain way.
The photograph is the last page of the DOJ filing—they tuck it in at the end, but I think they must have understood that it’s what was going to grab attention. Which is why it’s there, and it’s the only photo there. It’s not all of the exhibits they’re presenting in court; it’s just one that shows some of the documents. I think they understand that it’s one thing to put this stuff in writing, but if you can show people a picture, it really hits home in a different way.
Isabel: And did the DOJ stage this photo, with all the documents laid out like they are? It’s a really effective way to present the evidence.
David: You’re right that the staging is really intriguing. Trump complained that they made it look like he had had these documents scattered on the floor and insisted, No, the DOJ put them out, which seems to be true. It’s common for them to take photos like this to get the evidence and show what they found. But it also reminded me in a weird way of when sheriff’s offices or local police departments or even the DEA will do a drug raid and put out a spread of all the things they seized: the contraband, packages of drugs and guns and bullets. There’s the same kind of dramatic flair in this picture. So it’s both protocol and also a little bit of drama.
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