Trump, the defendant, confronts courtroom reality

Two days into his historic criminal trial, former President Trump is confronting the same rare feeling that fueled his erratic behavior in the wake of the 2020 election: a loss of control.

Why it matters: Trump is quickly learning that Manhattan's criminal courthouse is not like the court of public opinion, where he's broken every rule of politics and bulldozed his way to total Republican dominance.

Trump's campaign has been marked by choreographed rallies in front of adoring crowds, a few interviews mostly with sympathetic media, and angry rants outside courtrooms and on social...