Former President Donald Trump Begins Trial on Falsifying Business Records in New York Court

So it begins. On Monday, history was made when former United States President Donald Trump appeared in a New York courtroom to begin his trial on charges of falsifying business records.

He was the first US president, past or present, to stand trial on criminal charges.

Monday was the start of a process that is expected to last six weeks, according to Judge Juan Merchan, who is in charge of the case.

The test is also a the first of four separate criminal trials Trump is against it. It comes amid his 2024 bid for the presidency.

Not only did he try to hide the payments, but he did so in an effort stop bad press and withholding information from voters just months before the 2016 presidential election, prosecutors have argued. Trump went on to win that election.

On Monday, Trump appeared at the Manhattan court in his attire: a blue suit, red tie and a US flag lapel pin. He was greeted by reporters and television cameras, as well as a handful of supporters and activists.

Once inside, the prosecution and defense teams began jury selection, a commitment that could have been a few weeks ago, especially given the political sensitivities involved.

Here are six main meals from the first day of the New York test:

Former US President Donald Trump will attend a trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 15 [Michael Nagle/Pool]

Trump calls trial an ‘attack on America’

When he arrived in court, Trump quickly set the tone for his defense.

The trial is an “attack on America” ​​and “political persecution”, said the 77-year-old former president.

Trump has consistently dismissed the allegations against him as a political “witch hunt.” He also used the legal proceedings against him to promote his foundation – and collect donations – amid his many legal troubles.

Early in the day, for example, the Trump campaign released an “information leaflet” about the trial, trying to frame it as a way to soften the upcoming presidential election in November.

“Fact 1: President Trump has done nothing wrong. These charges are made entirely to interfere with the election and distract from the failed presidency of Crooked Joe Biden,” the email said.

Trump repeated that theme outside of court, taking direct aim at Biden, his opponent in November.

“It’s a country that’s failing, it’s a country that’s run by an incompetent person who is deeply involved in this,” Trump said. “This is a serious attack on a political opponent. It is what it is, so I’m very honored to be here.”

He also accused the judge and prosecutors in charge of the case, including Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, of being partisan.

“It’s a scam. It is a political witch hunt. It will continue, and it will last forever. And we’re not going to get a fair trial,” he told reporters at the end of the day.

The judge will not recuse himself from the case

At the start of the day’s hearing, Judge Merchan denied a request from Trump’s defense team, saying again, no, he will not recuse himself from the lawsuit.

Trump’s team has said that because Merchan’s daughter works as a consultant with the Democrats, the judge has a conflict of interest and should be removed from the case.

But Merchan said the defense team’s request was based on “a series of references, innuendos and unsupported speculation”.

Trump’s lawyers have tried repeatedly to delay the trial, in part by asking the judge to withdraw from the trial. Trump has also accused Merchan of being “corrupt”.

Merchan refused a similar request to recuse himself last year.

Prosecutors say Trump should pay for violating the gag order

Monday’s hearing also saw prosecutors try to punish Trump for alleged violations of the court’s gag order.

Judge Merchan had issued the gag order against Trump in March, prohibiting him from making statements about potential witnesses and their “participation that they might have” in the case.

But prosecutors said Monday he had violated the order at least three times.

They pointed to Trump’s recent social media posts, including one about his lawyer and negotiator Michael Cohen. Trump called him a “disgraceful lawyer and felon”, casting doubt on his credibility.

Cohen’s testimony is expected to be central to the prosecution’s case.

“The defendant has shown that he is willing to overturn the order. He has attacked witnesses in the case. In the past, he has impaneled grand juries in the case,” said prosecutor Christopher Conroy.

Prosecutors asked the judge to fine Trump $1,000 for each post. Judge Merchan said he would hold a hearing on the gag order later this month.

The Hollywood Access tape will not be played

However, Judge Merchan quickly denied a request by prosecutors to play an Access Hollywood recording in which Trump bragged about grabbing women by their genitalia.

Merchan made a similar decision last month, ruling that prosecutors could consider the tape but not play it in court. Prosecutors can also question witnesses about the recording, he said.

Trump’s defense team has argued that playing the tape would be “harmful” to a jury.

Prosecutors, however, have said the tape is important to building their case. The recording was released in the final weeks of the 2016 presidential election, when Trump was under scrutiny for his relationships with women.

Prosecutors will try to show that this public pressure has helped fuel Trump’s money schemes, as he has tried to suppress the unbiased media.

Supporters of former President Donald Trump demonstrate outside Manhattan Criminal Court where jury selection took place [Stefan Jeremiah/AP]

Begin a lengthy jury selection process

After some legal wrangling between the prosecution and the defense, the main event of the day began: jury selection.

More than 500 prospective jurors were screened, and 96 of them were invited into the courtroom on Monday.

From that large pool, the prosecution and defense team will select 12 jurors, plus six others.

“You are going to be involved in a trial by jury. The jury trial system is one of the cornerstones of our judicial system,” Judge Merchan told the 96 potential jurors at the start of the day.

Each juror was given a questionnaire aimed at expressing their political leanings.

They were asked where they lived, what jobs they had, what their educational history was and what media they were consuming. They were also asked if they had strong opinions about Trump and if they felt they could be a “fair and impartial juror”.

In Monday’s hearing, Judge Merchan quickly appeared to dismiss the prospective jurors.

More than half of the 96 jurors present raised their hands to indicate that they felt they could not be impartial in the case, and were immediately dismissed. Jurors were not seated Monday.

Trump’s woes extended beyond the courtroom, with shares of his social media company has fallen by 15 percent on Monday.

Shares in the Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates the Truth Social platform, have been volatile. The shares had already fallen nearly 60 percent since the company first went public on March 26.

The company’s stock first peaked at $70.90, and the public offering was believed to have increased Trump’s total wealth by billions.

However, shares were at $27.56 as the Trump impeachment trial began.

Protesters demonstrate outside Manhattan Criminal Court on the first day of Donald Trump’s trial [Stefan Jeremiah/AP]