Trump was in a 'really good mood' and mocked Democrats as he watched harrowing videos of the Capitol riot on day 2 of his impeachment trial, report says
- Senators were shaken at Donald Trump's impeachment trial Wednesday as they watched new riot footage.
- But The Daily Beast reported that Trump, watching remotely, was unmoved and mocking Democrats.
- A source close to Trump laughed when CNN asked whether Trump had shown remorse for the riot.
On Wednesday, House impeachment managers showed never-before-seen footage from last month's Capitol riot - including clips of Vice President Mike Pence and senators being rushed to safety to evade the mob.
The footage was enough to bring a silence over the Senate chamber during the second day of former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, and at least one senator was even said to be brought to tears.
But sources told The Daily Beast that Trump was unmoved and mocked the Democrats as he watched the trial hundreds of miles south at his home in Florida.
Jason Miller, a senior advisor to Trump, told The Daily Beast that the former president was in a "really good mood" on Wednesday.
He also said Trump thought the Democrats' presentations were "terrible" and marked a "massive drop-off in quality."
A person with knowledge of the situation told The Daily Beast that Trump sneered repeatedly when the new footage was shown. He also showed contempt for one of the impeachment managers, Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, whom he called "pathetic," the source said.
The source added that Trump privately said he thought the videos were manipulative and being used to divide the country.
Separately, a source close to Trump told CNN the former president hadn't expressed any regret over the riot.
Asked whether Trump had shown any remorse, the source reportedly laughed and said there's no greater offense to Trump than saying "sorry."
The source acknowledged to CNN that the facts of the case were "really bad" and that the new videos shown at the trial on Wednesday were "undeniably powerful."
But the person speculated that Democrats didn't think they'd be able to convict Trump and were instead using the trial to sway public opinion against the former president so he wouldn't run for office again, according to CNN.
On Tuesday, 44 of the 50 Senate Republicans voted that the impeachment trial was unconstitutional and should not move forward because Trump was no longer president.
While that wasn't enough votes to stop the trial, it could indicate a lack of support for conviction among Republicans.
If that's the case, there will not be enough votes to convict Trump. If all the Senate Democrats vote to convict Trump, 17 Republicans will need to join them to achieve a two-thirds majority conviction.