Pro-Trumper burns sage outside NYC courthouse to cleanse from ‘toxic journalists’

Spoiler: The sage trick didn’t work

Manhattan was busier than usual on Tuesday as swarms of press, protesters, and some Doanld Trump loyalists gathered outside a criminal courthouse to await the former president’s arraignment.

Mr Trump was indicted on 34 counts relating to his alleged hush money payment to Stormy Daniels, and flew up to New York from Florida to appear in court on Tuesday.

Reports from journalists at the site suggest that the press accounted for the majority of the people waiting for the former president, but there were some Trump supporters who showed up to back their favorite candidate, including a woman in a MAGA hat who was burning sage.

According to Semafor’s Kadia Goba, the woman was burning sage to ward off all of the “toxic journalists” covering the event.

Unfortunately for her, journalists typically run toward fires, not away from them.

Burning sage is a practice that finds its roots in indigenous purification ceremonies. The practice was co-opted by people who believe in the supernatural and use it as a way to ward off evil spirits — and apparently, in this case, reporters — and to purify spaces.

MSNBC political analyst Chris Hayes had some thoughts about the scene.

“If you could buy stock in ‘woo-woo crystal maga vibes’ you’d make a lot of money,” he tweeted.

The woman was later spotted laying prone and attempting to tear up a banner that said “Trump lies about everything.”

Despite the woman’s ritual, it appears there is still plenty of coverage coming from Manhattan as the US awaits the first instance of criminal charges being brought against a sitting or former president.