Trump Back in New York Criminal Court for Jury Selection

The second day of Donald Trump’s historic New York City criminal trial commenced on Tuesday, with the ongoing process of selecting 12 jurors to determine the former U.S. president’s guilt or innocence.

Trump voiced his discontent with the trial as he arrived at the courthouse in the morning, expressing a desire to be campaigning in Pennsylvania instead of participating in the court proceedings.

The challenges of the trial were evident on the first day, with approximately half of the 100 potential jurors being dismissed for stating their inability to impartially judge the controversial businessman-turned-politician, who is facing four separate criminal cases amidst his comeback White House bid.

As a New York native now residing in Florida, Trump has had a long history in the city’s tabloid press before winning the presidency in 2016 as a Republican. Despite this, he has never been able to rely on the heavily Democrat city for votes.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, has charged Trump with 34 felony counts related to falsifying business records to cover up a payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election to prevent her from disclosing an alleged affair with Trump.

Although Daniels claims to have had a sexual relationship with Trump about ten years prior, Trump has maintained his innocence and denied any encounter took place.

Prosecutors must demonstrate that Trump attempted to cover up the payment to conceal a crime, such as an illegal campaign contribution, to prove a felony charge against him.

While facing accusations in other jurisdictions for mishandling classified information and attempting to challenge the 2020 election results, the New York City case might be the only one to reach trial before Trump faces Biden in the upcoming election.

If convicted, Trump would still be eligible to run for office and serve as president if elected. However, a Reuters/Ipsos poll indicates that many independents and a quarter of Republicans would not support him if found guilty.

Trump has pleaded not guilty in all four criminal cases and attributed them to a Democratic plot to undermine him politically.

Although the events in question in the New York case occurred over seven years ago, prosecutors are also seeking to hold Trump accountable for his more recent actions.

On Monday, they requested Justice Juan Merchan to fine Trump for criticizing Daniels and Michael Cohen, his former fixer, on social media. Merchan imposed a gag order preventing Trump from making statements that could interfere with the case.

Jury selection is anticipated to last the remainder of the week, with the trial scheduled to continue through May. Trump is required to be present throughout the proceedings. Merchan denied a request for Trump to miss a session to attend a U.S. Supreme Court hearing challenging his prosecution for actions taken while president.

The selected jurors will hear testimony from witnesses such as Daniels, Cohen, and David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer. Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model, is also expected to testify regarding an alleged affair with Trump.