New York, New York - Donald Trump's entourage, including his potential VP pick, did their best to discredit star witness Michael Cohen by live-posting from the ex-president's historic hush money trial Monday.

Trump himself has been placed under a gag order by the judge overseeing the case, Juan Merchan, who has threatened the 77-year-old with jail if he directly criticizes trial witnesses.

That includes Cohen and Stormy Daniels, the porn star who says she received a $130,000 hush money payment from Trump lawyer Cohen to stay quiet during the 2016 presidential campaign about her alleged affair with Trump.

But that did not stop his son Eric Trump and members of Congress, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator JD Vance, from showing up at the Manhattan court and posting their own withering attacks against Cohen on social media.

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"I have never seen anything more rehearsed!" Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization and one of his father's only relatives to appear in the courtroom during the weeks-long trial, wrote on X.

The younger Trump, seated just behind his father, was joined by Vance, who is in contention to be Trump's running mate for the November election.

"Michael Cohen admitting he secretly recorded his employer. Just totally normal conduct, right?" Vance posted.

He also slammed the media for suggesting Trump's mental fitness is flagging because of reports he has been falling asleep at times during the trial.

"It's an absurd narrative. I'm 39 years old and I've been here for 26 minutes and I'm about to fall asleep," Vance wrote.

At the back of the courtroom sat another ally, Andrew Giuliani – son of disgraced former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani – who unleashed a barrage of more than 50 tweets, most attacking "convicted felon" and "serial liar" Cohen and smearing the Manhattan district attorney who brought the case.

During a break in Monday's proceedings, Senator Tommy Tuberville decried the lack of respect given to his "friend" Trump and slammed the conditions inside the Manhattan courthouse.

"This is New York City, the icon of our country, and we've got a courtroom that's the most depressing thing I've ever been in," Tuberville told reporters.

"Mental anguish is trying to be pushed on the Republican candidate for the president of the United States this year. That's all this is."