Curtain rises on historic Trump criminal trial with dozens of jurors thrown out

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Roula Khalaf, editor-in-chief of the FT, selects her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.

Happy Tuesday and welcome to your recap of yesterday’s highly anticipated episode of Law & Order: Presidential, presented by US Election Countdown.

The first-ever criminal trial of a former US president has officially begun with the start of jury selection in the Donald Trump “silence” case in Manhattan. [free to read]. As a reminder, here is a list of the actors in the historical debates.

More than 50 potential jurors were dismissed yesterday after saying they could not be impartial and fairly decide the fate of the polarizing former president. The selection process will be arduous — even Trump appeared to fall asleep yesterday in the uncomfortably hot courtroom — as the judge, prosecutors and defense attorneys question about 500 potential jurors about their political views and voting habits. information material. The trial is expected to last six weeks, which will keep Trump off the campaign trail.

All potential jurors come from Manhattan, where voters overwhelmingly went for Joe Biden in the 2020 election, making it an ideal pool for prosecutors. On Friday, Trump said it was “very unfair” for his trial to take place in such a Democratic district, adding that he would “absolutely” testify in his own defense.

Trump was indicted last year for falsifying business records relating to payments allegedly made to buy the silence of porn star Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election – she had alleged she had an affair with Trump in the past, which he denied. It’s likely this will be Trump’s only criminal case to go to trial before Election Day, and it could bring his legal troubles back to the forefront of voters’ minds.

Prosecutors also accused Trump of violating a silence order put in place by Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the case. They called for the former president to be fined for his attacks on potential witnesses posted on his Truth Social platform. Merchan has scheduled arguments about this for next week.

Meanwhile, the White House said Biden wasn’t paying much attention to Trump’s trial, instead focusing on U.S. national security priorities, although he would likely get an update. While Trump is stuck in court, Biden will campaign this week in the swing state of Pennsylvania.

Campaign extracts: the latest election headlines

• US House Speaker Mike Johnson – a staunch supporter of Trump whose leadership is in trouble – said the chamber would vote on separate bills aimed at providing aid to Israel and the Ukraine.

• After the Iranian attack on Israel, Biden’s Middle East dilemma has become more perilous as he faces pressure from both his right and left flanks, endangering his re-election bid. (WSJ)

• Trump’s media group was rushed to find a new auditor when its first choice resigned after just a few months on the job. [Free to read]

• Biden narrowed Trump’s lead in a recent national poll. (NYT)

• The Biden administration has hit U.S. oil drillers with the first royalty rate increase in more than 100 years as the president tries to mobilize progressive voters ahead of Election Day.

In the wings

The United States was rocked by an Arizona court’s sweeping decision last week to uphold a 160-year-old law banning almost all abortions. The decision gave Biden an opening in a crucial swing state as the issue returns to center stage in politics.

Although several opinion polls in the state show Donald Trump in the lead, even some Republicans are now skeptical of the former president’s ability to win Arizona.

The decision was “like a meteor hitting a body of water”, veteran Republican strategist Chuck Coughlin told the FT’s Lauren Fedor. He added:

I haven’t seen a Maga candidate succeed in Arizona since 2016. That’s because in each successive cycle, they failed to convince. . . a majority of unaffiliated voters. . . I just don’t see it. I just don’t see how [Trump] can win here.

And in the Democratic camp, Ruben Gallego, the congressman currently running for one of Arizona’s U.S. Senate seats, told Lauren that since Trump killed the bipartisan agreement on the border and protection against abortion, “these are the two things that will cost him the election in 2017”. Arizona”.

Arizonans understand: we don’t want this to be our brand.

Data points

American voters feel better about Biden’s handling of the economy, a good sign for the president, who has struggled to get his economic message across.

In the latest edition of the FT-Michigan Ross Poll, conducted earlier this month, 41% of registered voters said they approved of Biden’s handling of the economy, up from 36% in March. He is making gains among black, young, female and independent voters. This new figure marks his highest economic approval rating since the poll began in November.

But it’s not all good news.

Voters still worry that inflation – particularly rising food and gasoline prices – could ultimately derail his re-election.

Nearly 80 percent of voters said rising prices were one of their biggest sources of financial stress, with three in four saying the cost of food was the biggest impacting factor. The poll also showed a five-point increase in the number of voters saying pump prices were hitting their wallets.

“Voters still worry about inflation just as much, but they blame Biden less,” said Erik Gordon, a professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. Biden’s “recent, more strident accusations that greedy corporations are responsible for the price hikes appear to have won him points.”

Perspectives

• The tension between the United States’ dual goals toward Israel is reaching a critical point, writes Gideon Rachman, as the Biden administration seeks to provide “ironclad” support for the Jewish state while preventing a wider regional war.

• Rana Foroohar questions whether abortion will bring down Trump, as suburban women in key states appear to think Republican policies on the issue are too restrictive. [Premium subscribers]

• Inflation could ultimately sink Biden’s campaign because voters won’t care much about U.S. growth if borrowing costs remain high, Edward Luce said. [Premium subscribers]

• Simon Kuper considers how to beat nativist populists at their own game, since they cannot be defeated by facts and policies.

• There’s something the upper-middle-class left in the United States doesn’t understand about how inflation affects the lives of working-class and lower-middle-class Americans, Michael Powell points out. (Atlantic)