Trump, his face impassive and his eyes half-closed, leans back in his chair as his lawyers fight over evidence that could be VERY embarrassing: How the former president responded to the explosive first morning of the secret money trial

The Trump campaign arrived at the New York Supreme Criminal Court on Monday morning.

Donald Trump delivered his remarks in the courthouse hallway, as one of his most loyal peddlers worked the crowd outside and C-list speakers took their seats in an overflow courtroom to watch the proceedings.

This was the first day of the first of Trump’s criminal trials.

The history books will record that the first trial of a former commander in chief, a momentous day for the nation and the world, began with an argument over whether the evidence could include unproven allegations of sexual assault against him (no, said the judge Juan Merchán) or headlines that the father of his 2016 rival, Ted Cruz, was somehow involved in the JFK assassination (yes, the judge ruled).

Despite everything, in room 1530 in downtown New York, the defendant made his discontent clear.

Donald Trump sat with his face impassive, his eyes half-lidded and his lips pursed as his lawyers fought with prosecutors over how many salacious (and false) National Enquirer headlines could be shown to jurors and whether they could hear him say, “Grab ’em by the ass.” “. **s’ or if they could only read transcripts of the famous Access Hollywood tape.

The Manhattan DA’s team sat shoulder to shoulder at their desk.

In contrast, Trump dominated the space among his legal team. He leaned back in his chair or moved forward to look at a video screen, like a silverback gorilla reminding the courtroom who was boss.

When a decision went against him, such as when Judge Juan Merchán ruled that he would not recuse himself, he briefly showed his frustration and nodded furiously.

But at other times he did his impression of a jurist: brow furrowed and head tilted as if considering the judge’s ruling on the admission of the Molineux evidence.

At first glance, the charges are prosaic: 34 counts of tampering with business records.

But behind it, prosecutors allege, was a plot to pay off two women, including a porn star, Stormy Daniels, and hide their affair from voters in the run-up to the 2016 election.

The charges may be the least serious of the 88 he faces in four different criminal cases, including accusations that he endangered national security by maintaining secret intelligence files or trying to overturn the 2020 election, but they could prove to be the most serious. transcendence.

The New York case is likely to be the only one to be completed before the November elections.

And it will provide plenty of lines of attack for President Joe Biden’s campaign and questions for undecided voters.

Jury selection was set to begin Monday, but first the two legal teams had to sort through a series of arguments about what evidence was and was not admissible.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked to present evidence about the Trump 2016 campaign’s coordination with The National Enquirer.

The stories included articles about his 2016 rivals, including that Sen. Marco Rubio was addicted to drugs and mired in a sex scandal.

He said they were part of a deal struck at Trump Tower between the campaign and National Enquire owner American Media Inc to hide damaging stories in a practice known as “catch and kill.”

“This evidence will do nothing but confuse the jury about the actual crime charged,” Todd Blanche said for the defense, saying the stories had been carefully selected.

But he also said there was nothing “illegal” or “wrong” about an editor and a campaign meeting to discuss stories.

Merchan ruled that prosecutors would be allowed to present them.

As always, Trump had to use his appearance to sow doubt about the proceedings as a form of election interference and do what he could to keep his campaign going.

“This is an assault on the United States,” he told reporters in the hallway outside Room 1530.

‘Nothing like this has ever happened before; There has never been anything like it.

‘All the jurists say this is nonsense and should never have been introduced. He doesn’t deserve anything like this. There is no case.’

His appearance brought out a familiar group of people who have become famous thanks to him (on both sides).

George Conway, who parted ways with Trump pollster Kellyanne Conway after Trump became increasingly vocal in his opposition to the then-president, sat with reporters watching the hearing unfold in courtroom 1523, a courtroom overflowing

Outside of his loyal ally Laura Loomer, known for promoting conspiracy theories, a crowd of Trump supporters worked, stopping occasionally for media visits.

A maze of barricades kept pedestrians away from Trump’s criminal trial.

The harassed security guards directed the journalists one way and then another.

Protesters held signs that read “Loser” and “Condemn Trump Now.”

The journalists were examined twice with magnetometers. Suitcases checked and then checked again.

On the 15th floor, a makeshift corral had been built for a handful of photographers and reporters to document the former president’s arrival in room 1530.

Trump struck a defiant figure as he emerged from his Trump Tower home around 8:30 a.m., waving to onlookers.

And he kept up a steady stream of social media posts and fundraising emails in the 24 hours before his appearance, accusing his opponents of using the courts to keep him out of the campaign.

“Radical left Democrats are already cheating in the 2024 presidential election by filing, or helping to file, all of these false lawsuits against me, thus forcing me to sit in court and spend money that could be used to campaign, on instead of being on the field taking down corrupt Joe Biden, the worst president in the history of the United States,” Truth Social posted on his website.

‘Electoral interference!’