Trump’s allies flock to Manhattan courthouse to show support and curry favor with the former president

(CNN) —Several of Donald Trump’s allies are flocking to the Manhattan criminal courthouse where Trump is on trial to display their support for the former president as explosive testimony unfolds about his alleged sexual encounter with an adult film actress and the hush money payment made to keep it under wraps before the 2016 election.The courtroom has become a backdrop for potential vice-presidential auditions, as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, who are both under consideration for the job, made the trip this week to stand alongside Trump and offer their full-throated support of him.It has also become a way for Republican leaders to curry favor more broadly with Trump. On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has increasingly aligned himself with the former president amid blowback he’s received from the far right, became the highest ranking Republican to make the trip.The politicians coming to Trump’s defense are attacking the people Trump is barred from publicly speaking about under his gag order, including the prosecution’s star witness Michael Cohen, whose testimony began Monday. Their presence at the courthouse also allows them to show their loyalty — a trait highly valued and rewarded by the former president...