The first six jurors for Donald Trump’s hush money trial were chosen on Tuesday in Manhattan. Lawyers extensively questioned members of the jury pool about their social media posts, political views, and personal lives to determine their ability to impartially judge the former president. The selected jurors include an English teacher, an oncology nurse, and a corporate lawyer. Twelve more individuals still need to be selected before opening statements commence in the trial, which accuses Trump of falsifying business records to conceal a sex scandal during his 2016 campaign.
During the second day of jury selection, New Yorkers were subjected to hours of questioning regarding their opinions on Trump and other matters. Eight potential jurors were excused, either due to their inability to remain impartial or because of prior commitments. Trump’s legal team challenged a few individuals based on their social media posts, resulting in the dismissal of one person who had posted “Lock him up!” in reference to Trump in 2017. However, several prospective jurors assured the judge that they could fairly decide the case, regardless of their feelings towards Trump or his policies as president.
The trial, which commenced on Monday, places Trump’s legal troubles at the forefront of his closely contested race against President Joe Biden. It is the first of Trump’s four criminal cases to go to trial and may be the only one to reach a verdict before voters decide in November whether to elect him as the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. Trump was present in the courtroom as his lawyers requested the removal of a potential juror due to a social media post she made after his 2020 election loss. At one point, Trump spoke loudly and gestured, leading the judge to admonish him for potentially intimidating the juror.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass addressed Trump’s notoriety directly, emphasizing that the case was not about personal politics but rather whether Trump broke the law. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, which allegedly aimed to suppress salacious stories about his sex life during the 2016 campaign. The charges revolve around $130,000 in payments made by Trump’s company to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, who then paid porn actor Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about her alleged sexual encounter with Trump. Trump has denied the encounter ever occurred, while prosecutors argue that the payments were falsely recorded as legal fees as part of a scheme to bury damaging stories.
Before entering the courtroom, Trump briefly addressed a TV camera in the hallway, reiterating his claim that the judge is biased against him and that the case is politically motivated. Inside the courtroom, Trump interacted with court officers and took his seat at the defense table alongside his attorneys. With the trial expected to last for six weeks or more, some potential jurors expressed concerns about their availability due to prior commitments, such as Memorial Day plans and a child’s wedding.
In court papers filed on Tuesday, prosecutors urged the judge to fine Trump $3,000 for social media posts that allegedly violated a gag order restricting his public comments about witnesses. Trump referred to Cohen and Daniels as “two sleaze bags” in the posts, prompting prosecutors to request a warning to comply with the gag order and potential further penalties, including jail time.
