On Tuesday morning, five weeks later the first jury members took their seats for the criminal trial of Donald J. Trump, the defense rested, with closing arguments and then jury deliberations scheduled for after the Memorial Day weekend.
And despite dangling the possibility, Mr. Trump did not testify.
The testimony began April 22 with a tabloid publisher called by the prosecution, David Pecker, and ended with an attorney called by the defense, Robert Costello. In between were a porn star, Stormy Daniels; Michael D. Cohen, Mr. Trump's former lawyer and fixer; a former aide to Mr. Trump, Hope Hicks; and a bevy of lesser-known witnesses, mainly for the prosecution.
The former president is accused of falsifying 34 corporate documents to conceal Mr. Cohen's reimbursement for a $130,000 hush-money payment he made to Ms. Daniels, who says she had sex with Mr. Trump in 2006. Mr Trump, 77, has denied the allegations and the meeting. If convicted, he could face jail time or probation.
Here are five lessons from Trump's 20th day on trial.
The defense's big witness may not have been a good idea.
Mr. Costello, once Mr. Cohen's informal adviser, remained on the stand Tuesday after a reprimand Monday from Judge Juan M. Merchan, who said he had been “contemptuous.”
Mr. Costello had been called by the defense to attack Mr. Cohen's credibility, but during cross-examination, prosecutors tried to portray him as an agent of Mr. Trump, suggesting that he was trying to prevent Mr. Cohen from working with federal investigators. That included reading an email from Mr. Costello in which he said he was trying to “get Cohen on the right page.”
The defense had hoped to irreparably damage Mr. Cohen – a key witness for the prosecution. One may also remember Mr. Costello's choppy performance.
Trump talked a lot, but not in court.
Trump's loudness has never been questioned. He frequently spoke outside the courtroom during the trial, including on Tuesday, when he repeatedly decried the trial and complained about the temperature in the courtroom.
Calling the lawsuit “election interference” and saying it was hampering his campaign, Trump managed to organize rallies on weekends and days off, as well as some golf.
But after teasing an appearance on the stand, he declined to testify. And after violating a gag order 10 times, he proceeded cautiously, especially after Judge Merchan threatened jail time.
Trump's entourage showed his attraction to his party.
Republican politicians don't normally come together to defend someone ensnared in a lawsuit over a porn star's story about extramarital sex. But Trump has a firm grip on his party, and right-wing celebrities came out to support their presumptive presidential nominee.
During the trial, visitors included several potential vice presidential candidates — including Sens. J.D. Vance, an Ohio Republican, and Vivek Ramaswamy, once Trump's leading opponent — and a group of Republican lawmakers. Mr. Trump's son, Donald Jr., was also in attendance Tuesday; another son, Eric, was a regular. There was also a former leader of the Hells Angels chapter in New York.
Many visitors then attacked witnesses, something Trump could not do because of the gag order.
Perhaps the most notable participant was Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who called the trial “corrupt” and a “sham.” It was a remarkable attack on the justice system a staunch conservative which is second only to the presidency – and indicative of Trump's supremacy.
Some key people were never called to the stand.
As notable as some of the witnesses were, their absence was also interesting. One big name: Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who says she had an affair with Mr. Trump in 2006 and 2007. Mr. Trump denies this, and she has not been called as a witness, although she indicated she kept an eye on the case.
Other unseen characters often mentioned included Keith Schiller, the former president's bodyguard, and Dylan Howard, a former editor of The National Enquirer, who had a medical condition that prevented him from traveling from Australia.
Both might have told interesting stories: Mr. Howard helped buy up and bury unflattering stories about Mr. Trump, including Ms. McDougal's. He also participated in discussions about Ms. Daniels' story.
Mr. Schiller was close to Mr. Trump and received a call from Mr. Cohen in which Mr. Cohen said he had discussed Ms. Daniels with the former president. But Mr. Schiller was not called by the prosecution or defense.
It will be at least a week before the jury begins deliberating.
Jurors will return May 28 for closing arguments, which Judge Merchan predicted would last all day. Tuesday afternoon, attorneys argued over jury instructions, an important part of any trial.
After several hours of debate, with both sides apparently winning some points, Judge Merchan said he would issue a final version of those instructions on Thursday.
Judge Merchan said he hoped deliberations would begin on May 29. And after hearing 22 witnesses silently for 16 days, the jurors' verdict will be unprecedented: the first in the criminal trial of a US president.