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Donald Trump arrived at the Manhattan courthouse Monday morning as jury selection was set to begin in the first-ever criminal trial against a former U.S. president.
Hundreds of Manhattan residents will be questioned about their political views and media habits by the judge overseeing the so-called hush-hush case, marking the start of what is expected to be a six-week trial for the presumptive Republican White House nominee .
It is the first criminal charge against Trump, who was accused last year of falsifying records of payments made to buy the silence of porn star Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. Daniels had claimed to have had an affair with Trump years earlier, which the billionaire always denied.
The 77-year-old faces three other criminal cases, for his alleged attempt to subvert the results of the 2020 election and the retention of classified documents after his presidency.
Trump arrived at the courthouse shortly after 9 a.m., amid heavy security in downtown Manhattan. Hundreds of police officers lined up around the New York courthouse and a small number of protesters – for and against the former president – held signs outside.
Before entering the courtroom, Trump briefly spoke to reporters in the hallway, saying he was facing “political persecution.” . . like never before,” and falsely claiming that the affair was orchestrated by US President Joe Biden, his opponent in the upcoming elections.
“This is an attack on America,” Trump said. “And that’s why I’m very proud to be here.” This is an attack on our country. And it is a country that is failing. It is a country led by an incompetent man who is very involved in this affair. It is in reality an attack against a political opponent.”
Trump entered the courtroom around 9:30 a.m. ET, accompanied by his lawyers, and took a seat at the defense table.
A group of hundreds of potential jurors will be asked a total of 42 questions by the court. These include asking whether individuals get their news from left-wing outlets such as MSNBC or right-wing outlets such as Fox News, and whether they have ever attended a Trump rally or supported fringe movements such as QAnon .
Trump’s lawyers are experiencing a number of “strikes” against potential jurors they don’t want on the panel, as is the lawyer for the Manhattan district attorney who brought the case. Ultimately, 12 jurors and a number of alternates will be selected.
This trial comes as the campaign for the November presidential election shifts into high gear. At a news conference Friday, Trump called the jury selection process “largely due to luck” and said it was “very unfair” that he was being tried in a predominately Democratic district. Trump’s lawyers had previously tried to move the trial to another jurisdiction.
Trump added that he would “absolutely” testify in his own defense at trial, saying “all I can do is tell the truth.”
Additional reporting by Steff Chávez in Washington
