It is clear now that Trump does not plan to testify. On balance, this is a wise decision, for the reasons I have listed previously, but it creates some public relations problems with the base, which may view his silence as weakness. How will he deal with this issue?
If he’s somehow acquitted, he’ll say it is proof that the sexual encounter with Stormy Daniels never happened, even though a not guilty verdict would not really establish that. If he winds up with a hung jury, he’ll treat that as an exoneration, even though it won’t be. If he is found guilty, in addition to saying the trial was rigged, he’ll blame his lawyers. If he had only taken the stand, he would have demolished the prosecution’s case and proved his innocence.