The first trial of a former US president did not begin with fireworks, furious polemics or theatrics.
It began with a moment of quiet solemnity as 96 potential jurors were sworn in at Manhattan Criminal Court on Monday afternoon.
And then half were fired after admitting that there was no possible way to prevent their strong feelings about Donald Trump from getting in the way of a fair verdict.
Trump, whose rule-breaking period in office has ushered in a devastating post-presidency precedent, appeared somber for much of the process.
‘You are about to participate in a jury trial. The jury trial system is one of the cornerstones of our judicial system,” Judge Juan Merchán told the dozens of potential jurors arrayed before him.
Former US President Donald Trump became the first former president to go on trial when a jury was sworn in Monday afternoon in Manhattan Criminal Court.
Trump gave a thumbs up to reporters as he left the courtroom during a break in the proceedings.
“The name of this case is The People of the State of New York v. Donald Trump.”
As he broadly outlined the basis of the case — that Trump altered business records to conceal payments allegedly made to silence his ex-lovers before the 2016 election — some of the jurors craned their necks to see the blonde-haired figure. In front of them.
Trump stood and turned to face them as Merchan introduced him and his legal team. The former president smiled with a tight-lipped smile as he surveyed New Yorkers who could hold the fate of the 2024 election in their hands.
Merchan read a list of possible witnesses or other names that could come up during the trial, from Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal (two women at the center of the case) to family members like Melania and Don Jr, to former Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani. and Michael Cohen, and White House officials from him like Reince Priebus.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a dozen men and women (plus surrogates) who don’t have strong opinions about Trump or the witnesses. Especially in a liberal enclave like Manhattan, where Trump won just 12 percent of the vote in 2020.
In fact, the judge has set a simpler task: find a dozen people who can put aside their feelings to decide a verdict based solely on the evidence before them.
Or maybe not.
When he asked the first group of potential jurors if they couldn’t be impartial in the case, 50 immediately raised their hands and were excused.
Trump turned and craned his neck to watch them leave Courtroom 1530, whispering something to his lead attorney, Todd Blanche.
Trump with his legal team, from left: Todd Blanche, Emil Bove and Susan Necheles
Trump gave a brief speech to reporters upon his arrival for the first day of the hearing.
In the hallway outside Courtroom 1530, one of the outgoing jurors, a woman in her 30s with short hair, said, “I just couldn’t do it.”
Then came the nitty-gritty of choosing jurors. One by one, they were asked to solve a 42-question questionnaire (some with multiple parts).
Example question: “Have you ever considered yourself a supporter of or belonged to any of the following: (the QAnon movement, Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, Three Percenters, Boogaloo Boys, Antifa)?”
The first potential jurors revealed how difficult the task will be in Manhattan. One had an MBA, two of the top three mentioned the New York Times as their news source, no one mentioned NewsMax or Fox News.
The third member of the jury, a young woman who likes to go clubbing and said she receives news from TikTok and Al Jazeera, was excused after answering affirmatively to question 34: “Do you have any strong opinions or firmly held beliefs about the former President Donald Trump?” Or the fact that he is a current presidential candidate that would interfere with his ability to be a fair and impartial juror?
Another was excused because his daughter is about to get married in Seattle.
Journalists are following the proceedings via video conference, with split-screen views of the prosecution (bottom left), Trump’s team (bottom right) and Judge Juan Merchán, above.
An Upper West Side bookseller expressed his opinion about the judicial system and how it should be applied: “I believe that no one is above the law, whether it is a former president, a sitting president or a janitor.”
He was followed by a prosecutor from the rarefied Upper East Side.
It took each candidate about six minutes to review the list. Trump, who refuses to wear reading glasses in public, looked at a copy of the questions and followed along.
Sometimes he craned his neck to the right to scrutinize the candidates.
It was a slow process. “We’ll be here until Thanksgiving,” said one wag in the extra room, 1523, where the debates were shown by video link. Two weeks is a more realistic assumption.
And potential jurors weren’t even brought into the courtroom until 2:30 p.m.
The day ended without a single jury having made the final list.
The morning had been taken up with complex legal arguments about exactly what evidence they could hear and what they could examine.
So you’ll learn some extraordinary headlines from the National Enquirer about his rivals for the 2016 Republican nomination, like Ted Cruz (and the false story that his father was involved in the JFK assassination) and Marco Rubio (and made-up stories). that he was a drug addict involved in a sex scandal).
Prosecutors said it was part of the understanding of a deal reached between the Trump campaign and the magazine’s owners, American Media Inc.
Anti-Trump protesters gathered outside the courthouse Monday morning.
A Trump impersonator speaks with far-right podcast host and Trump ally Laura Loomer.
Central to the prosecution’s case is a “catch and kill” scheme in which Trump allies would buy “kiss and tell” stories and quietly ensure they were never published.
What took effect, they said, was that any revelation could damage his 2016 campaign.
One of the people involved was allegedly former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who claims to have had a year-long affair with Trump, even while his wife Melania was pregnant.
Prosecutor Josh Steinglass said the fact that it occurred when Melania was pregnant and after the birth of her son “speaks directly to the extent to which the defendant believes the story could be damaging to his campaign.”
Todd Blanche, for the defense, responded by saying it included “unproven allegations.” “It’s literally worthless obscenity,” he said.
Judge Merchan said his earlier ruling stood, allowing McDougal to testify, but would not allow evidence that Trump’s wife was pregnant at the time.
Trump seemed unfazed as he listened intently. He would sometimes whisper something to Blanche or look at the judge.
He spoke only three times, responding when asked if he understood the so-called ‘Parker warnings’ which warned him that he had the right to appear in court but could be removed or even imprisoned if he behaved in a disruptive manner.
Each time, he nodded and said “yes,” quietly.