Is this why Donald Trump closed his eyes during Hope Hicks' testimony? Former Apprentice contestant Stacy Schneider shares intriguing theory

A former Apprentice contestant has shared an intriguing theory into why Donald Trump closed his eyes during Hope Hicks' testimony at his New York hush money trial.

The former president has already hit back at claims that he was sleeping in the courtroom, stating he was closing his eyes to 'take it all in'.

Former Apprentice candidate Stacy Schneider seems to support his position, but offered an alternative explanation for the gesture.

'I don't think he is taking it all in, I think he is coping,' Schneider told CNN. 'I think he is self-soothing when he closes his eyes it has nothing to do with sleep.

'I think he knew the moment Hope Hicks was taking that stand that it was going to be heartache, it was going to be embarrassment for him.'

Schneider, who appeared on the Apprentice in 2006, added that Trump's genuine affection for Hicks, his former White House Communications Director, made her testimony all the more painful.

'I don't think he had much care for the other witnesses even though he said David Pecker was his friend of 20 years. He doesn't care about Michael Cohen, he cared about Hope Hicks,' Schneider said.

'It was going to put together the three pieces of his life that are the theme of this trial: His business operations, his White House operations and then lastly his personal interactions.'

Schneider explained said her experience on the former president's TV show gives her a unique insight into his behavior.

'I know how he operates when people talk out of line,' she explained.

Hicks took the stand at Manhattan Criminal Court, where Trump is facing trial over a $130,000 payment to adult actress Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 election, which prosecutors say he tried to obscure the nature of in his company's internal records.

Trump has denied having a sexual encounter with Daniels, and his lawyers argue the payments were legitimate legal expenses. 

Hicks broke down in tears during her testimony on Friday where she detailed the 'crisis' sparked by the infamous Access Hollywood tape and her own 'stunned' reaction at the hush money trial.

The 35-year-old served as one of Trump's most senior aides and became involved in his campaign for office back in 2015.

The two became extremely close and she helped steer him through the scandal of being caught on tape bragging about groping women, which threatened to derail his 2016 presidential bid.

Hicks told the court Trump's 2016 campaign was seized with worry about the potential political damage from the Access Hollywood tape.

She recalled in vivid detail how, as the campaign press secretary, she walked to the 25th floor of Trump Tower to interrupt debate preparations to hand Trump the transcript of the clip where he made the ‘grab em by the p****’ comments.

An upset Trump insisted he ‘didn’t want to offend anybody’ and felt his crude remarks made were ‘pretty standard stuff for two guys chatting with each other’, she told the jury.

The prosecution guided her through detailed descriptions of her interactions with Trump when he women came forward with lurid allegations.

She also revealed that she hasn’t spoken to the former president since the fall of 2022 and is paying for her own lawyer, despite her unflinching loyalty when she worked by his side.

Prosecutors hope her testimony will bolster their argument the uproar over the  tape hastened Trump's then-lawyer to pay off porn actor Stormy Daniels to bury a negative story that could imperil his 2016 presidential bid.

Hicks told jurors that Trump claimed he did not know anything about his then-attorney Michael Cohen paying Daniels.

But she said he eventually came to believe that burying Daniels' story was prudent, saying he thought 'it would have been bad to have that story come out before the election.'

She also described how Trump had ordered her to ensure no newspapers were delivered to Trump Tower when a tell-all story about an alleged affair with ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal was set to be released.

'I don’t think he wanted anyone in his family to be hurt or embarrassed by anything that was happening on the campaign. He wanted them to be proud of him,' Hicks replied when asked Trump's views on the matter.

Hicks was once one of Trump's most trusted advisors and was close with Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner.

However, she and Trump have not spoken much since her departure from his team in 2021.

Hicks left her role after the January 6 riots in a long planned move, but her testimony before Congress about the Capitol suggested she was angry at her former boss and had pushed back at his baseless voter fraud claims.