Former US President Donald Trump speaks as he prepares to leave Manhattan Criminal Court at the second day of his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs, in New York City on April 16, 2024. | Photo by JUSTIN LANE / POOL / AFP
Donald Trump could not have made his feelings clearer: he would rather be anywhere else than in a New York courtroom Tuesday, on trial for business fraud.
Dressed in a blue suit with a blue tie, former US president shifted between discomfort and anger, as he sat through the second day of the historic proceeding, the first criminal trial of a US president.
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“This is a trial that should have never been brought,” Trump told reporters outside the courtroom, as he lashed out against President Joe Biden, his Democratic rival in the November presidential election, and what he called the “Trump-hating judge” in the case.
“Every legal pundit and every legal scholar said this trial is a disgrace,” he added.
Trump is accused of falsifying business records in a scheme to cover up reports on the eve of his 2016 election victory that he had an extramarital affair with a porn star.
Now, with the 2024 presidential campaign heating up, “I should be right now in Pennsylvania, in Florida, in many other states — North Carolina, Georgia — campaigning,” he said.
After a brief exchange with his lawyers Tuesday, Trump took a seat at the defense table and only seemed to lighten up when photographers were brought in to take photos of him before the trial.
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Jury selection continues
The day was devoted to jury selection, with prosecutors and lawyers quizzing potential jurors in a bid to find 12 New Yorkers deemed impartial enough to decide the fate of the scandal-hit billionaire.
Trump, who is under a partial gag order restricting him from attacking individuals connected to the case, sat in silence and kept his gaze on the jury box.
The potential jurors, selected at random to take part in this high-stakes legal drama, had to answer out loud a long list of questions on their profession, family status and hobbies — as well as their sympathies and political biases — in order to determine whether they would be able to fairly judge the controversial defendant.
Appearing uninterested at first, Trump eventually paid special attention when potential jurors answered “yes” to a prosecutor’s question about whether they would be able to return a guilty verdict, tilting his head once or twice as they were answering.
Trump became even more animated when a potential juror, in response to a question, said he had read Trump’s book “The Art of the Deal.” Trump smiled and nodded in approval.
He turned to watch as Merchan questioned one juror about posts made to her social media page.
As she filed out of the courtroom, the judge addressed Trump’s lawyers.
“Your client was audible” to the juror, he admonished, saying that Trump was “muttering” and “gesturing.”
“I will not have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom,” he warned, directing the defense to speak to their client about the behavior.