Judge Judy’s Alvin Bragg Remarks Spark Fury From Donald Trump Critics

Television personality Judge Judy Sheindlin has ignited controversy on social media with her recent comments about Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial.

In an interview with CNN’s Chris Wallace for his series Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?, Sheindlin, a former family court judge who moved into television in 1996 where her hit courtroom show Judge Judy ran for 25 seasons, offered a critique of Bragg’s prosecution of Trump, while also sharing her thoughts on Trump’s presidency.

Sheindlin, known for her sharp-tongued judgments on her long-running courtroom reality show, didn’t hold back when discussing the charges brought against Trump by Bragg’s office. She dismissed the case as “nonsense,” a statement that has since drawn criticism from Trump’s detractors.

“I would be happier, as someone who owns property in Manhattan, if the district attorney of New York County would take care of criminals who were making it impossible for citizens to walk in the streets and use the subway, to use his efforts to keep those people off the street, than to spend $5 million or $10 million of taxpayers’ money trying Donald Trump on this nonsense,” Sheindlin told Wallace.

Newsweek has contacted Bragg’s office and Sheindlin’s media representative via email on Saturday.

Late last month, a New York jury found Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records relating to a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election. Daniels alleges she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, which he denies. Trump has maintained his innocence and says the case is politically motivated. His legal team pledged to fight the verdict and appeal the case if necessary.

Sheindlin’s comments have sparked outrage among Trump critics on social media, with some arguing that her dismissal of the charges undermines the work of prosecutors and investigators involved in the case.

Ryan Shead, veteran commentator and host of the Hold the Mic podcast, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday, “When EVERYONE around someone like Trump starts going to prison for covering for him, that person is likely guilty too. Judy also just sh** on the judicial system and jury that convicted Trump on ALL COUNTS. They seemed to come to their conclusion quickly.”

X user Art Candee also mocked Sheindlin’s comments about safety concerns in New York City, “Judge Judy appears to be parroting Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo’s irrational fear that people can’t walk down the street in New York or take the subway as a reason to support Donald Trump. Utter paranoia from people who never even take the subway.”

X user Marlene Robertson posted, “Judge Judy is literally telling the world that keeping her taxes lower is more important than democracy. Disheartening and leathesome [sic] at the same time.”

However, Sheindlin’s interview wasn’t entirely favorable to the former president. When asked about her thoughts on Trump as president, she offered a critical assessment.

“I don’t think that Donald ever should have been president, and I don’t think that even Donald thought he was going to be president,” Sheindlin said, who also characterized Trump as a “good businessman” and “terrific on The Apprentice.“

Sheindlin, a self-described political independent, previously backed former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. The judge even traveled to New Hampshire in January to support Haley on the campaign trail who dropped out of the race a couple months later.