Former US president Donald Trump was angered by the performance of his lawyers during the opening day of his second impeachment trial.
Allies and Republican senators questioned the strategy and some called for yet another shake-up to his legal team.
Mr Trump, who watched proceedings in Washington from his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, was furious at what he saw, a source said.
Some senators described the lawyers' performance as unfocused and rambling, as they and Democratic House managers began to lay out their cases before the Senate jury.
While it is unlikely that more than a handful of Republicans will join Democrats in voting to convict Mr Trump, the proceedings were a chance for him to try to repair some of the damage to his legacy after a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol.
He is charged with inciting the January 6 insurrection and last month became the first president in history to be impeached by the House twice.
But Mr Trump’s team, announced little more than a week ago, appeared unprepared as they tried a good cop, bad cop routine that veered from flattery to legal jargon.
Their performance was a dramatic contrast to the Democrats’ focused, emotional appeals.
Mr Trump was impressed with the Democrats, who opened Tuesday’s session with powerful video that compiled scenes of the deadly attack on Congress.
He complained that his team, especially lead lawyer Bruce Castor, looked weak in comparison, the source said.
That anger was echoed by Mr Trump's allies, who criticised the lawyers publicly and privately, and with repeated profanities.
“There is no argument,” said Alan Dershowitz, a lawyer who represented Mr Trump in his first impeachment trial.
"I have no idea what he [Mr Castor] is doing. I have no idea why he’s saying what he’s saying."
Peter Navarro, a former Trump trade adviser, had already urged the former president to drop his legal team and hire Republican representative Matt Gaetz before the trial began.
“You gotta get rid of those guys," Mr Navarro said. "These people don’t understand. This is a political trial."
Republican senators appeared equally baffled, especially at Mr Castor, who spent much of his time buttering up senators with compliments, praising the case made by Democrats and digressing.
John Cornyn, a Republican senator for Texas, said Mr Castor “just rambled on and on and on, and didn’t really address the constitutional argument".
Mr Cornyn said Mr Trump's lawyer David Schoen, who spoke second, “got around to it” and “did an effective job".
"But I’ve seen a lot of lawyers and a lot of arguments, and that was not one of the finest I’ve seen," he said.
Before the criticism mounted, another adviser to Mr Trump described Mr Castor’s presentation as part of a “very clear, deliberative strategy".
The adviser said that after the Democrats’ emotionally charged opening, Mr Castor set about “lowering the temperature” before “dropping the hammer on the unconstitutional nature of this impeachment witch hunt".
The hammer did not appear to hit its nail.
Bill Cassidy, a Republican senator for Louisiana, voted with Democrats on Tuesday to go ahead with the trial.
Mr Cassidy said Mr Trump’s team did a “terrible job”, was disorganised and “did everything they could but to talk about the question at hand".
Susan Collins, a Republican senator for Maine who also voted with the Democrats, said Mr Castor “did not seem to make any arguments at all, which was an unusual approach to take".
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An explosion caused by a police munition is seen while supporters of former president Donald Trump gather in front of the US Capitol Building in Washington, US, January 6, 2021. Reuters -
A supporter of US President Donald J. Trump sits on the desk of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, after supporters of US President Donald J. Trump breached the US Capitol security in Washington. EPA -
Police detain a person as supporters of US President Donald Trump protest outside the US Capitol. AFP -
Protesters enter the US Capitol Building. AFP -
A protester holds a Trump flag inside the US Capitol Building near the Senate Chamber. AFP -
US Capitol police officers point their guns at a door that was vandalized in the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress. AFP -
Members of congress run for cover as protesters try to enter the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress. AFP -
Congress staffers barricade themselves after Trump supporters stormed inside the US Capitol. AFP -
Congress staffers barricade themselves after Trump supporters stormed inside the US Capitol. AFP -
Congress staffers hold up their hands while Capitol Police Swat teams check everyone in the room as they secure the floor of Trump supporters. AFP -
US Capitol Police stand detain protesters outside of the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress. AFP -
A supporter of US President Donald Trump sits at a desk after invading the Capitol Building. AFP -
A protester sits in the Senate Chamber. AFP -
Pro-Trump protesters tear down a barricade as they clash with Capitol police during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 US presidential election results by the US Congress. Reuters -
Police hold back supporters of US President Donald Trump as they gather outside the US Capitol's Rotunda. AFP -
Supporters of US President Donald Trump enter the US Capitol's Rotunda. AFP -
A protester is seen hanging from the balcony in the Senate Chamber. AFP -
Riot police prepare to move demonstrators away from the US Capitol. AFP -
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol. AFP -
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces, as they storm the US Capitol. AFP -
A supporter of US President Donald Trump wears a gas mask as he protests after storming the US Capitol. AFP -
Pro-Trump supporters storm the US Capitol following a rally. AFP -
Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest inside the US Capitol. AFP -
US President Donald Trump is seen on TV from a video message released on Twitter addressing rioters at the US Capitol, in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC. AFP -
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol in Washington, DC. AFP -
Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest in the US Capitol Rotunda. AFP -
Paramedics perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a patient. AFP -
A wounded protester is carried on barricade as demonstrators breach the US Capital building grounds. Bloomberg -
US Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi preside over a joint session of Congress to certify the 2020 Electoral College results after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol earlier in the day on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. EPA -
Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., cleans up debris and personal belongings strewn across the floor of the Rotunda in the early morning hours of the morning, after protesters stormed the Capitol in Washington. AP
Texas senator Ted Cruz, one of Mr Trump’s staunchest allies, said he did not think the lawyers did “the most effective job".
South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham, another close ally, said he did not know where Mr Castor was going with his arguments.
Mr Trump’s team did not respond to requests for comment on the day’s events or say whether they were planning any change in representation.
Mr Castor said during the trial that the team “changed what we were going to do” at the last minute because the House managers had done such a good job.
After yesterday's performance, would say only that “we had a good day".
Mr Schoen said he had not yet spoken to Mr Trump, but would “have to do better next time".
“I mean, I always hope to improve. I hope I can do that,” he said.
Mr Trump parted ways with his original impeachment team about a week before the Senate trial was set to begin.
That was in part because he wanted them to base their defence on unfounded allegations of election fraud and the lawyers were not willing to do so.
