They show a Trump who is calm and deliberate, and while his speaking style is recognizable, he seems to take his time and consider answers and thoughts far more carefully than he does in public appearances. This is not the only case where this public-private split happens; as I noted last year, when transcripts of Trump’s conversations with world leaders leaked, they revealed a far more articulate leader than the public President Trump.

This is not to say that he’s happy—few people enjoy depositions. For the first half of the Trump Hotel deposition, Trump sits with his arms crossed, looking cross. In other cases, he is even more querulous. During the Trump University deposition, Trump was angry from the start, accusing the opposing counsel of “harassment” when she asked him to spell his name. “I think the lawsuit is trying to hurt the brand, and I honestly look forward to winning this case and suing your law firm for as much as we can sue them for, and we will be doing that,” he said.

Later, he scolded the lawyer as she handed him documents. “Could you not lick your finger before you give me a document, please. Would that be okay?” Trump said. “It’s disgusting.” In a 2011 deposition, he blew up when a lawyer asked to take time to pump breastmilk. “You’re disgusting,” he said, and walked out.

Some of his irritability may represent a strategic choice. In the Trump University deposition in particular, Trump’s lawyer repeatedly tangles with the deposing lawyer, objecting to lines of questioning and eventually calling for a break to call the judge to discuss whether certain subjects were permitted. But Trump seems to get in on the act, too. He often acts aggrieved about certain lines of questioning or treats the opposing lawyers as though their questions are preposterous. He also repeatedly goes on tangents, bragging about the value of his business or about his political success or whatever else might strike his fancy, even as he accuses opposing counsel of filibustering. These techniques for running out the clock, as well as the penchant for projection, will be familiar to anyone who watched Trump debate in 2015 or 2016.

If there is one tendency that emerges from the depositions that might have bearing on Mueller’s probe, it’s that Trump demonstrates little involvement in or awareness of what’s going on at his business. It helps that Trump claims to have done practically no preparation for the Trump University and Trump Hotel depositions. (Former: “How did you prepare for your deposition?” “I didn't prepare.” Latter: “I would say virtually nothing. I spoke with my counsel for a short period of time.”) Over and over, though, he shows himself to be disconnected from the administration of his business empire.

It’s not just his statement on the hotel restaurant, that “I wasn’t involved in the lease. I signed it, but I wasn’t involved in it.” Asked what his responsibilities with regard to Trump University were, Trump offered a gauzily meaningless statement: “Well, it was very important to me, because if I can impart knowledge to people to make their lives better, that is a very important thing to me.” Confronted with his lawyer’s statement saying that Trump did not have “substantial control” of Trump University, Trump tried to find a way to have it both ways. “So I thought it was a—I thought it was a very—so it was a very important thing to me, actually, the school,” he said.