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Hi! I'm Robert Morales, aka Traveling Robert. Join us as we embark on new adventures every week, traveling from city to city, exploring popular destinations to hidden gems. In the process you will learn tips and tricks of safer RV'ing, solar energy options and much more. Thank you and see you on the road!

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Road Trip! with YouTuber Traveling Robert

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YouTube's Traveling Robert traded his traditional job for an RV and 200,000+ subscribers. He now drives all throughout the U.S., making high-quality travel content along the way. In this int... Read all YouTube's Traveling Robert traded his traditional job for an RV and 200,000+ subscribers. He now drives all throughout the U.S., making high-quality travel content along the way. In this interview, he talks about how he he made the leap from full-time employee to full-time creato... Read all YouTube's Traveling Robert traded his traditional job for an RV and 200,000+ subscribers. He now drives all throughout the U.S., making high-quality travel content along the way. In this interview, he talks about how he he made the leap from full-time employee to full-time creator, many of the great places he's been, and where the road might lead to next.

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Winnebago Benefits from ‘Traveling Robert’ Partnership

• RV Business

From left, Winnebago Towables Vice President Joel Eberlein, Senior Product Manager Adam Christoffersen, and Robert Morales, content creator behind the “Traveling Robert” YouTube channel. The three are standing with the 2023 Micro Minnie 1720FB travel trailer that Morales will be using for the year as part of his brand ambassador partnership. (Photo: Rick Kessler/RVBusiness)

But the collaboration goes far beyond a simple relationship between a YouTube influencer and RV manufacturer.

Think of Morales as a combination focus group/test pilot – but with an audience.

Joel Eberlein, vice president of Winnebago Towables, said the partnership with Morales began at a “grassroots” level.” Years ago, and already a 2014 Micro Minnie 1706 owner, Morales created a YouTube channel. As his audience grew, he caught the attention of Eberlein and Adam Christoffersen, senior product manager at Winnebago Towables.

“We started watching him and invited him to some of the retail shows. Then, we started talking product, and we started talking about having a more in-depth relationship,” Eberlein recalled. “And through that, Robert said, ‘Hey, I’d like to do a couple of things.’”

Those “couple of things” turned out to be a host of technology and components that Morales installed on his rig – by then it was a Micro Minnie 1708 – so he could go on off-grid adventures.

Now partnered with Winnebago, Morales explained his upgrades to Eberlein and Christoffersen and mentioned he’d like an even more robust off-grid package.

Christoffersen recalled, “We had a call with Robert, Joel, myself and Matt Burbank, our engineering manager, and said, ‘Okay, if you want to go five days off grid, what do we need to do here? Because the system we put in your 1708 was not going to work.’”

Eventually, this led to what is now known as Winnebago’s high-tech FLX edition of its Micro Minnie, which includes a full suite of factory-installed, integrated technology and components to provide at-home comfort when connected and for up to five days when disconnected. The setup includes 200-watt solar panels plus prep for a portable panel, 320-amp-hour UL-listed lithium-ion battery, 3,000-watt pure sine wave inverter, Showermiser fresh water reclamation system, and the Truma Aventa air conditioner, AquaGo water heater and Varioheat furnace.

“So, from this whole package of battery inverter, suite of Truma appliances, from an efficiency standpoint, really all of a sudden came the FLX package. And he had the very first one – but it wasn’t branded Micro Minnie FLX yet,” Christoffersen said.

“And then we’re in the heart of the pandemic,” he continued. “Campgrounds are full, and people want to socially distance. So, it was pretty quick where we said, ‘We need to commercialize this.’ And we went to market with it in January of ‘21 at Tampa.”

Morales was even included in the development of the 20-foot, non-slide 1720FB, Christoffersen mentioned.

Needless to say, both sides are very pleased with the partnership.

“Yeah, very pleased,’ said Morales. “I mean, when they made the original upgrades to my specifications, or to what I needed, I didn’t know that they were actually going to mass produce it. Apparently, they realized that my wants were the same wants of many other potential customers out there. And it’s really great that they took my advice and the feedback from that.”

Eberlein said Winnebago’s benefits from the partnership are “almost immeasurable because you’re getting this intimate feedback of how it’s being used.

“And Robert is also kind of the leading edge to how people were using their RVs,” he continued. “I mean, COVID changed a lot of things, and one of the changes was, ‘How we go to work?’ Even though you’re now starting to see some people come back to offices, there’s definitely more acceptance to a flexible work life balance and people working remotely and things like that. So, the things he brought to us and his lifestyle helped us build a trailer that’s designed for that emerging consumer.”

Source: https://rvbusiness.com/winnebago-benefits-from-traveling-robert-partnership/

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10 episodes

RV lifestyle podcast. Destinations, how to's, and valuable information to enhance your RVing experience.

Traveling Robert Living the RV Dream

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Living the Rv Dream Episode 319: The Trip that Was

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Living the RV Dream Episode 318: The Great 2024 American Solar Eclipse

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Love Robert

I’m a long time listener and supporter of Robert and his videos. I don’t know what it is about his videos that just make my day, but they do. Some is the most beautiful scenery I’ve never experienced myself. Big up Robert love you and the channel.

His stories from the road are very entertaining

Every Podcast, and every video Robert produces is a complete Gem! His tales from the road are great and informative. He’s not afraid to tell you if a place doesn’t live up to the hype, and paint a exquisite picture if they do.

Robert is simply the best!

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17 Best YouTube Travel Channels to Follow

Written By: The Planet D

Digital Nomads

Updated On: December 14, 2022

You may have seen our list of the best youtube travel vloggers written by the outstanding Christine of GrrlTraveler . She introduced us to some of the best travel vloggers who have endured through the years. That list of youtube channels features the heavy hitters and best travel vloggesr on YouTube, including Vagabrothers, Mark Weins, Kristen and Siya, Samuel and Audrey and Hey Nadine. So check that out here .

We didn’t want to mess with Christine’s list, but we did want to share more amazing youtube travel channels with you that we check out weekly. Christine had a strict criteria for her choices for the best travel channel like consistent updates, niche, and channels that bring a new spin on the word Travel Show – (She knows what she likes and she has a TV producing background after all).

Table of Contents

Best Travel YouTube Channels

We chose our list of YouTube travel channels in a similar fashion. They are people we watch regularly, they update consistently, and have entertaining videos and personalities and do creative work. These travel YouTubers combined with Christine’s list are the best travel channels on youtube. They make us want to travel and I know they will do the same for you. 

Most Inspiring YouTube Travel Channels

These are not in a particular order. Everyone on this list is a great travel channel on YouTube. There is something to suit everyone’s taste.

1. MIKE COREY

Mike is one of the most innovative storytellers in travel on YouTube. With his unique editing, fantastic footage and wild sense of adventure you’ll love watching his videos from around the world. Because of his high production value, Mike is hired a lot for companies and brands to make professional travel videos on their channels. Mike is so charismatic, he is a host on the BBC Travel channel too!

2. Drew Binsky

When we first wrote this list (and Christine wrote hers) Drew Binskey wasn’t even on the radar yet. And now he has exploded to become the most successful youtube travel channel out there. He is on a mission to visit every single country on earth and Drew shares videos that take you off the beaten path. He is always showing you what it is really like to travel to a place and he features locals in interviews showcasing their culture and every day life.

3. ARIENNE PARZEI

Arienne has burst onto the scene in the past year, but we’ve known her for quite some time. Winning the Best in Travel at the Buffer Festival in Toronto (this is considered the Oscars of YouTube Travel) she has gone none stop producing quality videos. Her 8 part video series highlights her climb of Mount Kilimanjaro with World Vision Canada. Her videos are professional quality and she is highly sought after by brands and destinations to produce travel videos.

4. Going Awesome Places

Will of Going Awesome Places covers everything travel. From what travel gear he uses, to giving you inspiration to create your own trips. We love his editing style, use of drones and the feeling of taking you into the destination as you travel along. Will has some great adventures and is a serious adventure traveler but he also has a lot of fun showing travels that everyone can do too!

5. Tourist2Townie

Gareth travels slow and really delves into the destination that he visits. Tourist2Townie travelled extensively in Brazil and became a sensation in Brazil. While visiting a Rio favela, we even saw his logo plastered on the walls of the community. Now that’s fame! 

He’s now left South America and is bigger than ever traveling the world and sharing his video series from each country he visits on his exceptional travel channel.

6. Expert Vagabond

Matthew Karsten is the king of adventure travel doing everything from diving with sharks in South Africa (without a cage) to trekking solo across Greenland. If you want inspiration or need some motivation to get your lazy butt off the couch, check out his videos that he’s posted from his years of travelling around the world.

Update: We shared Matt’s video above in 2019 when updating this article and couldn’t believe this moment never went viral. Well guess what? It finally hit the big time and everyone is buzzing about that penguin now. Check it out.

7. Steve Hanisch

Steve is another travel videographer with high production value on his travel channel that is sought after by tourism board and travel brands. He speaks around the world about making travel videos and produces his videos in both English and German. He’s also got a great sense of humour and is an all-around nice guy.

8. Be My Travel Muse

Kristin is one of the top female travel bloggers and is making waves in the travel vlogging world now too! Travel along with your laid back vibe as she goes around the world to places like the Philippines and Mexico to everywhere in between. She does adventure travels and we love how she chats directly to the audience making you feel like a friend.

Maiku runs his own production company and has won several video awards. We always love checking out his videos. He has put together some great video series that keep you hooked on what is coming next. I really like his behind the scenes information and journalist quality videos like the video above showcasing the Toronto restaurant market.

10. David’s Been Here

David Hoffmann has been traveling the world since 2008. We met him in Istanbul and since that time his YouTube Channel that focuses on food and travel has skyrocketed! With videos uploaded nearly every day from 77 countries and over 1,000 destinations, you’ll never run out of things to watch!

11. Getting Stamped

Adam and Hanna are that dreamy couple that you see on commercials showcasing exotic destinations. They were made for starring in their own travel channel. We love going to island destinations with them as they showcase beautiful locales with their drone work and fanstastic cinematography.

12. Vacation Couple

Kristin and Shadi specialize in resort tours and when we book vacations, we check out their travel channel first. Shadi is a graphic artist by trade, so his work is second to none. When you watch their travel videos, you feel like you are watching a Club Med advertisement and will want to book a luxurious getaway right now!

13. Nomadasaurus

Alesha and Jarryd are an Australian adventure couple that have been on the go for since meeting in a hostel in 2008. They’ve recently returned home after a decade of traveling the world and are showcasing their life in a van through fun videos. We love their organic style and sense of adventure in their videos.

14. Christopher Rudder

Chris is a fellow Canuck who shares his love for travel through his cinematic style and very sexy voiceovers. (this is Deb talking here 🙂 I feel like I am watching a full on travel show when watching Chris as he covers everything from adventure to food, culture and city guides.

15. CAILIN O’NEIL

Cailin was one of the first travel bloggers/youtubers we ever discovered. Coming from a film and TV background she puts a lot of information and personality into her videos. Cailin is a fellow Canuck who has a great sense of humour and a talent for storytelling. Coming from a film and tv background, she makes her travel videos feel like a proper documentary-like one of our favourites the Tomatino Festival.

16. Cammy D

Cameron is the son of one of the world’s top travel writers, Heather Greenwood Davis and he is going to be a star. While still in school, he’s been producing travel vlogs about travels that he’s been on with his family. He’s been branching out recently from travel to tackle subjects like racism, the importance of youth voices, and even showing off his talents in video games.

17. Brendan Vanson

Brendan has a great mix of photography tuturials and day vlogging. Mixing his talents for photography and his great sense of humour, he has been able to carve out a unique niche that has attracted a large following. If you love to take pictures of your travels, you’ll love his getting the shots series “Where he explains how he takes his breathtaking images.

18. ThePlanetD

While you are browsing, check out our travel channel on YouTube. We put up new videos every week.

We have adventure travel videos from all seven continents doing everything kayaking in Antarctica and learning to whitewater kayak, to taking a luxury train journey through the Rocky Mountains.

Give us a Follow us on YouTube: We’ve posted nearly 400 videos on our Travel Channel from our 100+ countries visited. You’ll have hours of entertainment and a few laughs.

If you haven’t noticed, there are a lot of Canadians on this list. I didn’t know it until I compiled this one but clearly We Canucks tend to have a lot of love for each other. This list is also not in a particular order.

What’s Your Favourite YouTube Travel Channel?

Do you have a favourite YouTube Travel Channel? Make sure to leave a link in the comments below. We’ll keep adding as we find them! 

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Travel Planning Resources

Looking to book your next trip? Why not use these resources that are tried and tested by yours truly.

Flights: Start planning your trip by finding the best flight deals on Skyscanner

Book your Hotel: Find the best prices on hotels with these two providers. If you are located in Europe use Booking.com and if you are anywhere else use TripAdvisor

Find Apartment Rentals: You will find the cheapest prices on apartment rentals with VRBO . 

Travel Insurance: Don't leave home without it. Here is what we recommend:

• Allianz - Occasional Travelers.
• Medjet - Global air medical transport and travel security.

Need more help planning your trip? Make sure to check out our Resources Page where we highlight all the great companies that we trust when we are traveling.

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About The Planet D

Dave Bouskill and Debra Corbeil are the owners and founders of The Planet D. After traveling to 115 countries, on all 7 continents over the past 13 years they have become one of the foremost experts in travel. Being recognized as top travel bloggers and influencers by the likes of Forbes Magazine , the Society of American Travel Writers and USA Today has allowed them to become leaders in their field.

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28 thoughts on “17 Best YouTube Travel Channels to Follow”

i culdnt find any better travel insights than this , thanks a bunch

wow, thanks for putting this piece of information together

Thank you Dave and Deb for sharing this great article. Me and my wife We love travelling and when we not travelling, we can watch someone else travelling…)

An indeed insightful collection of travel youtube channels one would wish to watch.

Thank you very much theplanetd.com to telling us about inspiring travel channel.

This Guy “Indigo Traveller” is really a worthy mention. Gives us an insight into North Korea

Way late to the game but I’d recommend Indigo Traveller. He puts out lots of great content, goes to a number of less poplar destinations (including NK), and seems like a genuinely awesome guy to boot.

Check out Chasing Everywhere! She travel the world full time and makes videos of unique places she finds. Really beautiful drone footage and great tips and tricks! youtube.com/chasingeverywhere

Thanks for letting us know. We’ll definitely check them out! This post is a year or so old, so it is time to update it for sure. Cheers Deb

Hey there! When/if you update your YouTube adventure travels to watch list, maybe consider QE Adventures (short for Quinn and Ethan Adventures).

These teenage brothers are skilled videographers and editors and personably narrate their family friendly high adventures in a style that makes audiences wish they’d come along. It’s one of the few channels with videos from the teenage travelers’ perspectives.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1K9qsPWma9X-tEmrK4wq6Q

Love this post!! Thankyou!! So much inspiration in one page its insane! You guys should definitely check out our youtube channel too! We are Mami & Papi – young parents with a passion for life! Our channel is recent but slowly upcoming – we hope to become insipration to others too one day 🙂 https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC8vQHR5Du1dx1LVEoqL_KUQ

Thanks for sharing your channel. I’ll be sure to check it out and all the best to you!

Hi, Dave and Deb.

Have to say a relay wonderful blog 🙂 Something similar what we have started our self, but we are aiming for local travel experience in our small but very beautiful country Lithuania. As I see you haven’t been here. You are very very welcomed here. Although we are small but that does not mean we don’t have anything to show 🙂 Would be super so see your experience of our countr here 🙂

Cheers, Auste and Justas @ TravelingLithuania

Thanks! We’d love to come to Lithuania in the near future.

What is with the popularity contest? This is the same boring list that everyone publishes. I’m so tired of seeing the same people on these lists, two of whom should not be included!

You are more than welcome to add some names. We asked if anyone had someone to add. So put them on the list. These are the people we follow and enjoy. Also, there is another list that Christine wrote for us just before we compiled this one. that we talked about at the beginning of this blog post. (if you read it) And the reason we decided to do a part two. Sorry if you are not on it, I am not familiar with your videos, but I’ll take a look. I don’t know everyone out there. But I try.

Ah, I just went and took a look at your YouTube travel channel and see that you haven’t posted in two years. That would be the reason I hadn’t thought of you. Good luck if you start posting again. PS, I deleted your comment made under the John Doe email address as I see it is from the same IP address as you, (within minutes of each other) and nobody needs to read a second complaint saying the same thing by you under a pseudonym. But I left yours up because I feel that people have a right to their opinion. Cheers!

Great collection, getting entertained and inspired to travel. Thanks

Amazing collection of channels here! I really dig the aggregation and attribution going on. Thanks for sharing these channels with us!

Thanks for the recommendations, I will check these out!

So my channel isn’t quite as robust as many of the ones mentioned here, but it does highlight a part of the world that none of these Youtube channels even go near. Check it out! I’d love to hear your feedback.

Xinjiang | FarWestChina Youtube Channel

Thanks for sharing Josh, I’ll definitely check you out! You should leave your link so everyone can find you!

Thanks i will bookmark this for making video.

Great post! Will be hanging out on YouTube for the rest of the night!

Awesome read, i mostly use YouTube for food so its great to see that there are some awesome streams about travel that will excite my wanderlust 🙂 lovely read

I like this blog. thanks for the blog. it was very informative and the pictures are captured very beautifully.

Great photos. thanks for the blog. I like this blog.

The one thing that you have noticed is that those who make YouTube travel video has best of their components and top quality video camera devices which let them take best of shots make them look like a professional photographer.

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San antonio leaders travel to europe to strengthen relationships, recruit international businesses, satx strives to bring quality, high-wage jobs to the alamo city.

Tiffany Huertas , Reporter

Robert Samarron , Photojournalist

Maritza Carlos , Video Editor

SAN ANTONIO – In May, the San Antonio International Airport will get its first nonstop European flight and the groups that made it possible want to keep the momentum going and bring in new businesses.

Recently, San Antonio leaders traveled to Europe to strengthen business relationships and seek new ones.

“We work with companies globally to make sure they know that San Antonio is a wonderful place to live, to grow and to build a business,” Jamie Lutrell, vice president of brand and communications at Greater: SATX said.

The team at Greater: SATX, a private-public nonprofit, is dedicated to growing quality and high-wage jobs in the San Antonio area and have been developing strong relationships with the businesses in Europe.

“Our CEO traveled with a delegation from San Antonio which included Visit San Antonio and the San Antonio International Airport,” Lutrell said.

The San Antonio leaders traveled to London and Frankfurt to continue building the relationships with businesses in those countries and to recruit more international business to San Antonio.

“We have a set of target markets that we focus on, not only for business recruitment, but also for helping out local businesses continue to grow here in San Antonio. We focus on cyber security, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, financial services and of course those headquarter operations as well,” Lutrell said.

Recently, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also traveled to Europe to deepen the economic partnerships between the United Kingdom and Texas.

“The governor’s office, when he is traveling internationally it certainly is opening doors and making sure the message is well received that Texas is open for business and is the best state for business,” Lutrell said.

Lutrell says the new flight from San Antonio to Frankfurt is key to attracting businesses.

“When businesses are looking at our market for the potential expansion opportunities, they are looking at workforce, they are looking at real estate, and they are looking at that connectivity to make sure they will be able to get back to their home base and continue to building upon that,” Lutrell said.

More businesses could create a ripple effect that has a positive impact on the entire city.

“Lets take the most recent JCB, they are a UK based company that is growing here in San Antonio with plans to add over 1,500 jobs. It’s a tremendous opportunity and we know there’s going to be a ripple effect as additional suppliers come in to support their growth in San Antonio,” Lutrell said.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. secures ballot access in battleground state of Michigan

Jonathan J. Cooper

Associated Press

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. waves to supporters during a campaign event, Saturday, April 13, 2024, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has secured a place on the ballot in the battleground state of Michigan, state officials confirmed Thursday, elevating his potential to affect the November election .

Kennedy's independent bid has spooked allies of both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump , the presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees, who fear his famous last name and dedicated support among a slice of disaffected voters will be enough to tip the election.

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Biden scooped up endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop Thursday in Philadelphia.

A spokesperson for the Michigan secretary of state's office said the Natural Law Party, a minor party with a line on the state's ballot, nominated Kennedy at a convention.

Kennedy faces an expensive and time-consuming process to get on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia without the backing of a political party.

Michigan is the second state after Utah to affirm that his name will be presented to voters. His campaign or an allied super PAC say they've collected enough signatures in several other states, including the battlegrounds of Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina, but they haven't yet been validated by elections officials.

Third-party and independent candidates face long odds in a U.S. political system largely built around two major parties. Kennedy has acknowledged the hurdles he faces and urged Americans to “take a risk” and vote for him, saying the biggest obstacle to his campaign is the belief that he can’t win.

Kennedy is a leading activist in the movement that rejects the scientific consensus that vaccines are safe and effective, and he's built a fervent base of support among voters disenchanted with American institutions.

Stung by losses in two of the last six elections that many Democrats blame on third-party candidates, the Democratic National Committee has pledged a full court press to challenge Kennedy, including legal challenges to his ballot access and ads linking Kennedy to Trump supporters.

The anti-vaccine group Kennedy led for years, Children’s Health Defense, currently has a lawsuit pending against several news organizations, among them The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Trump’s Options for His Defense Are All Bad

Alvin bragg’s case will leave little room for the former president’s lawyers..

With the near completion of what may have been the most challenging and significant jury selection in American legal history, my former trial lawyer colleagues and I have been discussing the ways the upcoming Trump hush money trial will likely unfold. Notwithstanding the group’s collective high-level prosecutorial and white-collar defense trial experience—together spanning well over 100 years—our discussions have failed to answer a very basic question: What is the defense?

Defense lawyers always need a theory of their case to present to the jury in their opening statements, a construct that they try to build upon as they cross-examine key prosecution witnesses, call their own witnesses, introduce evidence, and sum it all up in their closing argument to the jury.

Were the witnesses against my client mistaken in identifying him as the perpetrator? In that regard, were the lighting conditions too poor, or was he too far away to allow accurate identification? Or, in white-collar cases, was my client relying on the advice of counsel or other trusted professionals when he did what he is accused of and thus acted without the requisite criminal intent? Or are the government witnesses all simply lying?

In theory, Donald Trump potentially had an advice-of-counsel defense—all three parties to the Stormy Daniels transaction at the core of the charges were represented by attorneys—but asserting that defense would require him to testify, something, as I have previously written in Slate , that he is manifestly incapable of doing. This is surely the case in the Alvin Bragg prosecution. Because taking the witness stand places a defendant’s credibility directly at issue, Trump’s doing so would open the door to cross-examining him about otherwise inadmissible, damning past conduct. The E. Jean Carroll debacle is just one of many skeletons he must keep in the closet.

Trump’s inability to testify precludes other potential “innocent state of mind” defenses, such as the oft-repeated claim that in his dealings with Daniels, he was looking only to protect Melania. Even though this would be tantamount to saying “I broke the law for family reasons,” it would require his testimony.

As a consequence, Trump’s lawyers will be left to argue that the prosecution’s case is based solely on the words of Trump-hating liars—no one more demonstrably so than Michael Cohen. The problem with this approach is that there will be many more damaging witnesses to confront, quite a few of whom who will be difficult to impeach. Any attempt to make the case all about Cohen will likely fail.

The prosecution, although acknowledging Cohen to be a morally damaged witness, will surely argue that it was his willingness to lie, cheat, and steal for the boss that qualified him to be Trump’s attorney in the first place. Prosecutors will point out that Cohen’s testimony is directly supported by relevant documents and other witnesses, but they will do all they can to make their case much more reliant on other witnesses—perhaps going so far as to argue that even if the jury completely disregards Cohen’s testimony, the evidence against the former president is overwhelming.

Especially strong support for this position will come from David Pecker and Hope Hicks.

When it comes to the catch-and-kill scam at the heart of the case, and the threat to Trump’s 2016 election campaign posed by Daniels’ desire to tell the world her story, no other witness has more direct, explosive information than Pecker. As the editor of the scandal-driven National Enquirer magazine, he was a longtime close associate of Trump. Even before Daniels, Pecker and Trump had used the same catch-and-kill methodology—Pecker bought a scandalous story about a Trump affair seemingly for publication, then deep-sixed it—to conceal Trump’s extramarital tryst with former Playboy model Karen McDougal, now a witness for the prosecution.

In sum, except for Pecker’s understandable inability to identify the Trump Organization financial records falsely describing the payments at issue—entries that speak for themselves—Pecker can and will testify to everything he and Trump knowingly and intentionally did to illegally protect the candidate’s reputation as Election Day approached.

As for Hicks, she is a powerfully credible witness who has honed her testimonial skills in congressional hearings and numerous other venues. As the White House communications director and a Trump confidante, Hicks participated in multiple telephone calls involving Trump and Cohen in which they discussed the threat posed by Daniels and the steps to be taken to silence her.

Though there is at least one, however underwhelming, area of cross-examination of Pecker—his reported immunity deal protected him from prosecution and could be argued as incentive for him to lie—there is simply no meaningful cross-examination of Hicks.

With Pecker’s testimony likely preceding Cohen’s, to be followed later in the prosecution’s case by Hicks’ testimony, prosecutors can get what they need from Cohen while sandwiching him between two more believable and compelling voices, sharing parallel—and much more difficult to challenge—perspectives of the same damning story.

Interwoven will be the predictably sympathetic testimony of the victims of the defendant’s catch-and-kill method to escape accountability: Daniels and McDougal. There will also be a host of others with documentary and testimonial support for the prosecution’s case.

Are they all lying? When and where did this plot to falsely accuse an innocent man take place?

But didn’t I previously argue that the Bragg prosecution was the weakest of the four pending Trump indictments and, in an ideal world, would not go first? That is still the case, because the three other prosecutions involve far more serious charges and are relative slam-dunks (especially the two federal cases). The prime defect in the Bragg prosecution is a legal issue: whether, under the facts of this case, a state misdemeanor can become a felony. The trial judge, Juan Merchan, has already ruled in the district attorney’s favor on that matter, but this legal question will remain very much alive on appeal should Trump be convicted.

Trump’s public defense to galvanize his supporters—that the Bragg prosecution is all a scheme hatched by President Joe Biden and left-wing maniacs—won’t be tolerated in the courtroom. As a consequence, his trial team will be left without much. His best hope remains the presence of a recalcitrant juror or two willing and able to hang the panel.

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Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh; Editing by Leslie Adler

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