7 jurors selected to serve and Trump chastised: Donald Trump's hush money trial day 2 recap

Editor's note: This page reflects the news from Donald Trump's criminal trial from Tuesday, April 16. For the latest updates on Trump's hush money trial, follow our live updates for Tuesday, April 23.

NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump has been back in court for the second day of his Manhattan criminal trial as he's accused of covering up giving hush money to a porn star to help his 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump, 77, faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to conceal payments to Stormy Daniels. She has said she and Trump had sex in 2006, not long after Melania Trump gave birth to their son Barron. Trump has long denied the claim.

Prosecutors allege the falsification was done to conceal violating federal campaign finance contribution limits and a plan to violate New York tax and election laws, making the crimes felonies.

Keep up with USA TODAY's live updates from inside and outside the Manhattan courthouse:

Donald Trump trial live updates: Latest from gag order arguments, David Pecker testimony

Trump says judge is 'rushing this trial'

While leaving court for the day, former President Donald Trump repeated his assertion that Judge Juan Merchan is biased against him,

Merchan is "rushing this trial," the defendant added. "And he’s doing as much as he can for the Democrats.

The New York State Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics' found no "reasonable basis to question the judge’s impartiality."

Trump also questioned the basis of his prosecution.

"This is a Biden-inspired witch hunt and it should end," he said.

Trump has not provided any evidence that Biden had a role in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's decision to bring charges.

-Ben Adler

Trump leaves the courtroom

Former President Donald Trump left the courtroom after a long day of jury selection in his New York criminal hush money case. There will be no proceedings on Wednesday, but a large group of potential jurors was asked to be at the court at 9:30 a.m. ET on Thursday.

– Aysha Bagchi

Seventh juror selected

Of three potential jurors who remained by 5:30 p.m. ET, one was selected to serve on the jury. The prosecution used "peremptory strikes" – a kind of veto – to get the other two excused. One of the excused jurors was a man who said he worked in the real estate industry and knew people who knew former President Donald Trump.

That makes seven selected jurors. 12 jurors plus several alternates are needed before the case may proceed to opening statements.

– Aysha Bagchi

More juror selection coming this evening?

It's possible we could have more jurors selected this evening. Judge Juan Merchan asked remaining potential jurors to step outside the courtroom after lawyers for the prosecution and the defense questioned them about their ability to be fair and impartial in the case. Merchan said the lawyers will review their notes.

– Aysha Bagchi

Trump to hold campaign rally Saturday in North Carolina

Bodegas in Harlem aren't the only campaign trail stops Trump has planned this week. The Trump campaign is moving forward with plans to hold political rallies during his hush money trial on days when he doesn't need to be in court.

Trump has a campaign rally scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at an airport in Wilmington, N.C.

North Carolina is an important state in the fall presidential race between Trump and President Joe Biden.

Trump carried North Carolina by narrow margins in 2016 and 2020, but Biden supporters believe that issues like abortion and Trump's legal problems give them a chance to flip the state this fall.

?David Jackson

Trump to target crime in New York

In an attempt to clap back at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Donald Trump is going to Harlem ? Bragg's native neighborhood and political home base ? to campaign at a bodega that was the site of a fatal stabbing in 2022.

In an incident that inflamed critics, the bodega clerk was charged with murder after he stabbed an attacker in self-defense. The charges were later dropped.

Trump, a former New Yorker, is expected to characterize the nation's largest city as crime-ridden, in order to portray Bragg as a left-wing zealot who is misdirecting his energies on Trump's prosecution for 34 counts of falsifying business records, instead of focusing on street crime. Trump has previously attacked Bragg on social media.

Although Trump and congressional Republicans have previously argued that New York City suffers from high crime, the murder and violent crime rates in the city are lower than the national average, lower than most other large cities, and well below the rates during the 1990s when Rudy Giuliani was mayor.

Trump's new home state of Florida has a higher murder rate rate than New York, and West Palm Beach, Florida, which neighbors Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, has the ninth-highest murder rate in the country.

-Ben Adler

Potential juror in real estate industry says he knows people who know Trump

It's a big city, but a small world: A potential juror who said he has lived on Manhattan's Upper East Side since 2004 said he knows people who know former President Donald Trump.

The New Yorker's comment didn't come in response to a question. Instead, he brought the indirect connection up after responding to the 42 preliminary questions jurors are being asked before lawyers for the two sides will speak to them.

The potential juror said he has worked in the real estate development industry since 2010. He also briefly followed Trump when Trump was on Twitter, which is now called X. He added that he read Trump's book, "Trump: The Art of the Deal," a long time ago.

– Aysha Bagchi

Jury selection continues: Multiple potential jurors dismissed as group responds to Judge Juan Merchan's questionnaire

Multiple potential jurors were dismissed late Tuesday as a group of six individuals was brought in to respond to the the list of 42 questions for potential jurors that Judge Juan Merchan decided on before trial.

One of the individuals was excused over work timing issues. Another was let go after she said she "deeply" felt she had concerns, upon being in the courtroom, about her ability to be fair and impartial.

– Aysha Bagchi

Is hush money illegal?

Hush money is a wide-ranging term used to refer to paying someone to not speak publicly about an issue. It's not necessarily illegal, so why is Donald Trump in court over a hush money case?

The former president isn’t actually charged with making a $130,000 payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels in exchange for a non-disclosure agreement. Instead, he's accused of falsifying business records to hide the payment.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg described the payments to Daniels and another woman, former Playboy model Karen McDougal, as part of a “catch-and-kill” strategy to prevent the women from telling their stories. But the criminal charges are that Trump falsified his company’s business records to conceal the payments.

– Bart Jansen

Why is Trump on trial?

Prosecutors claim Donald Trump falsified records to conceal that he was reimbursing his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, for a $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. Daniels has said she had sex with the real estate mogul shortly after his wife, Melania Trump, gave birth to their son, Barron. Trump denies Daniels' claim, and has pleaded not guilty in the case.

The charges are felonies, as opposed to misdemeanors, because prosecutors claim Trump falsified the records in order to conceal violating federal election laws through a payment that was meant to help his 2016 presidential campaign but exceeded campaign contribution limits.

The payment was made less than two weeks before the 2016 election. Prosecutors also allege the records were falsified in order to violate New York tax and election laws.

– Aysha Bagchi

New potential jurors told to come back Thursday, but jury questioning continues Tuesday for others

Judge Juan Merchan had several dozen new potential jurors brought into the courtroom and instructed them to return Thursday at 9:30 a.m. ET. A court security officer told one of them, "Ma'am, ma'am put your cell phone away," after the woman saw Trump and tried to take out her phone.

"I know that you’ve been sitting around all day," Merchan told the new group. He said things would start promptly on Thursday.

Proceedings aren't over for the day, however. There are six more people from an earlier group of potential jurors still to be questioned.

– Aysha Bagchi

Six jurors chosen for Trump's hush money trial

Six jurors have been selected to serve throughout Donald Trump's New York criminal hush money trial. All six were sworn in late Tuesday afternoon.

12 jurors, plus several alternates, are needed in total before the trial can move forward to opening statements.

Merchan instructed the six selected jurors to plan to come back Monday at 9:30 a.m. ET, indicating it's possible opening statements in the trial could happen next week.

– Aysha Bagchi

Judge Juan Merchan allows potential juror to continue despite satirical posts

The judge allowed another potential juror to continue after the Trump team took issue with her previous social media posts. Merchan said the posts were satire, and the prospective juror was fairly open about disagreeing with Trump's political views.

– Aysha Bagchi

Trump trial dates: Holidays, Barron Trump's high school graduation and more

While Donald Trump's hush money trial is expected to extend six to eight weeks, the former president won't be in the courtroom every day. Judge Juan Merchan said Tuesday that the trial will take a break on Wednesdays for its duration, and there will not be any trial on April 29.

The judge also said there will not be any trial dates that would conflict with religious observances. That could include Passover, though the courtroom hours could simply be cut short on April 22 and 23.

The case will also potentially adjourn for the high school graduation of Barron Trump, Donald Trump's youngest son, next month.

– Marina Pitofsky

Juror who posted 'I'm dumb as f---' parody video featuring Trump dismissed

Judge Juan Merchan dismissed a potential juror who posted on social media a parody video generated by artificial intelligence that was titled "I'm dumb as f---" and featured Trump. The potential juror also posted "no one is above the law" about Trump's separate criminal case over his handling of classified documents.

– Aysha Bagchi

Potential juror allowed to continue despite Trump's trial team knocking a post from her husband

Judge Juan Merchan allowed another potential juror to continue despite the Trump trial team taking issue with a social media post it uncovered from her husband, which the judge said was from eight years ago.

– Aysha Bagchi

Donald Trump smirks at potential juror who posted 'lock him up'

Donald Trump craned his neck toward a potential juror and flashed a smirk, after the man said he didn't still believe Trump should be "locked up." The non-verbal expression from Trump came after his trial team uncovered a social media post in which the potential juror celebrated a court striking down a Trump travel ban and then stated, "Get him out and lock him up." The man said he didn't still believe Trump should be behind bars after the man was called in for questioning by Judge Juan Merchan, who ultimately struck him from consideration based on the post.

– Aysha Bagchi

Juror who posted 'lock him up' about Donald Trump dismissed by judge

Judge Juan Merchan struck a potential juror from consideration after Trump's legal team uncovered a social media post in which the potential juror said "lock him up" about Trump.

The post wasn't shown to reporters, but the judge read it out loud (without detailing what the spelling, capitalization, or spacing looked like, although he described the exclamation points): "Good news!! Trump lost his court battle on his unlawful travel ban!!!"

The post continued by stating about Trump, "Get him out and lock him up."

Merchan said if the post ended before the last phrase, he wouldn't really have a problem. However, the juror expressed a desire for Trump to be locked up.

"I don't think that I can allow this juror to remain," Merchan said.

– Aysha Bagchi

Judge Juan Merchan allows juror linked to anti-Trump 'party' video to continue

Judge Juan Merchan allowed a potential juror linked to a video of anti-Trump celebrations to continue being considered for the jury after she acknowledged seeing the gathering outside and maintained she could be fair and impartial.

Trump lawyer Susan Necheles described the video as "clearly an anti-Trump event that she's out celebrating and partying at." Merchan agreed it was an anti-Trump event of some kind (the video wasn't shown to reporters), but said it wasn't clear the potential juror was there. He did allow the juror to be questioned about it.

The potential juror said she remembered seeing people out in the street celebrating. She maintained she could be fair and impartial in the case, repeating Merchan's explanation to potential jurors on Monday that jurors decide the facts in the case, while the judge decides the law.

– Aysha Bagchi

Judge tells Trump lawyer: 'I will not have any jurors intimidated. ... Speak to your client.'

After a potential juror was questioned about a video on social media, she left the courtroom and Judge Juan Merchan said he heard Trump audibly making comments, although the judge couldn't hear what Trump said.

"I will not have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom," Merchan told Trump lawyer Todd Blanche. "Speak to your client," Merchan instructed.

Blanche leaned over to Trump and whispered to him. Trump then leaned forward at the defense table.

– Aysha Bagchi

Trump lawyer: Video proves juror should be excluded

The judge just reviewed a video that Trump's legal team says is grounds for the judge to exclude a potential juror from the case. Reporters weren't shown the video, but the legal team indicated they found it through online searches.

"This is clearly an anti-Trump event that she's out celebrating and partying at," said Susan Necheles, a lawyer for Trump.

Merchan agreed it appears to be that kind of event, but it's not clear to the judge the potential juror was there.

The judge says he is going to allow Trump's team to ask her questions about it. The potential juror has just been brought in.

– Aysha Bagchi

Donald Trump's lawyer says not all potential jurors gave accurate answers

Trial proceedings have resumed after a break for lunch, although the jury hasn't been brought into the courtroom yet.

Trump lawyer Todd Blanche says a look at the social media activity of potential jurors suggests not everyone was truthful. He wants Judge Juan Merchan to strike multiple potential jurors "for cause," which would mean the judge determines a juror doesn't meet certain qualifications or probably can't be impartial in the case.

– Aysha Bagchi

What happened this morning in Trump's hush money trial?

After a slight delay for two late potential jurors, more New York residents answered a set of 42 questions Judge Juan Merchan decided on before the trial, such as where they get their news.

Along the way, a handful of jurors were excused after saying they had now concluded they couldn't guarantee they would be impartial in the case or had conflicts that might prevent them from being present and giving their full attention to the trial.

And for the first time since the trial started Monday, attorneys for Trump and the prosecution questioned jurors directly. Trump lawyer Todd Blanche asked several potential jurors what their opinion of Donald Trump was. Some said they disagreed with Trump's policies, others said they didn't have an opinion, while at least a couple said their opinion wasn't relevant in the courtroom.

– Aysha Bagchi

When is Trump's Georgia trial?

Donald Trump faces 10 criminal counts in Georgia related to alleged election interference.

His trial in the Peach State hasn't been scheduled yet, but it will be televised, making it the only of Trump's four criminal cases to be broadcast.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis proposed to start the trial Aug. 5, but that would mean the potentially five-month trial would be running on Election Day.

– Bart Jansen & Kinsey Crowley

Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles: Donald Trump's lawyers

They aren’t household names yet like their universally known client, Donald Trump. But the lawyers trying to keep the former president out of prison in his New York hush money trial ? Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles ? likely will become minor celebrities once the court battle gets going this week.

A year ago, when a grim-faced Trump made history as the first former president to face criminal charges, Blanche and Necheles sat by his side as he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records associated with hush money payments to two women.

Blanche, who usually does the talking in court on the hush-money case, told reporters that Trump was determined to fight the charges.

"He's frustrated, he's upset," Blanche said. "It's not going to stop him."

– Josh Meyer

Judge will hold Donald Trump contempt hearing on April 23

Judge Juan Merchan on Monday moved the date for a hearing over whether Donald Trump violated a gag order and should be held in contempt in the New York hush money case. The hearing will now be held on Tuesday, April 23, one day sooner than originally planned.

Prosecutor Christopher Conroy argued on Monday that Trump should be held in contempt and fined $3,000 for three social media posts that Conroy said violated the judge's prohibition on Trump publicly commenting on the participation of potential witnesses.

– Aysha Bagchi

President Joe Biden’s campaign puns ‘Stormy’ criticism of Donald Trump

President Joe Biden’s Democratic campaign put out a statement Monday criticizing Republican rival Donald Trump over abortion and highlighting the controversy in Arizona where an 1864 law has been reinstated to outlaw all abortion.

But the headline sounded more like an Empire State of mind than focused on the Grand Canyon state. The same day Trump’s trial began on charges he falsified business records to pay hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels, the Biden campaign headline cited “Stormy” coverage of the abortion ban and the attempt to “hush panic.”

Trump has claimed credit for appointing as president three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade, which had guaranteed a right to abortion. He recently said states should be left to decide the decision, but that the Arizona law “went too far” and should be overturned.

–Bart Jansen

Is Trump trial being televised?

The trial won't be televised, as is typical in New York courts. Reporters will be present in the courtroom and an overflow room that will have a live stream of the proceedings.

Trump may hold press conferences outside of court and speak to reporters in the courthouse hallway.

– Aysha Bagchi

Why did Michael Cohen go to prison?

Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former attorney, pleaded guilty in 2018 to concealing more than $4 million from the IRS and "causing $280,000 in payments to be made to silence two women who otherwise planned to speak publicly about their alleged affairs with a presidential candidate, thereby intending to influence the 2016 presidential election," according to court records.

Prosecutors said Cohen arranged a $150,000 payment to McDougal and a $130,000 payment to Daniels.

Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison but was released early to home detention because of the spread of COVID-19.

– Bart Jansen

Donald Trump lashes out over hush money case on Truth Social

Donald Trump has used Truth Social in the last few hours to attack his hush money trial, calling it a "farce" on his social media platform and an effort to target his reelection bid.

There is no evidence that the sweeping criminal charges Trump faces across four cases are attempts to undermine his presidential campaign.

Trump has also shared a poll on Truth Social on Tuesday showing him leading Biden in pivotal swing states including Georgia, Nevada and Michigan.

– Marina Pitofsky

Jurors dismissed for lunch

Judge Juan Merchan dismissed potential jurors for lunch, telling them to be back at 2:15 p.m. ET.

Outside of their presence, Merchan indicated in a conversation with lawyers for both sides that a process of striking jurors would begin later this afternoon. That could mean the lawyers will begin to use "peremptory strikes" – essentially vetos on particular jury candidates.

– Aysha Bagchi

Trump lawyer to jurors: What is your real opinion of Donald Trump?

Trump lawyer Todd Blanche posed the same question to several potential jurors: What is your real opinion of Donald Trump?

Blanche got a variety of answers.

"I'm a female. He's targeted some females," one potential juror said. She added that some of her friends have strong opinions on Trump, and she knows there are opinions that he doesn't treat females correctly, but she doesn't know the details and doesn't have her own conclusion about it.

Another potential juror said he has a lot of friends in law enforcement who are fairly "pro-Trump," but he didn't personally have an opinion on Trump on national politics.

One woman said she's a person of color, so people around her have opinions on Trump. But she appreciated that Trump actually speaks his mind.

Another prospective juror said he would be happy to share his view with Blanche if they were in a bar, but in the courtroom his opinion isn't important. After being pressed, he told Blanche he's a Democrat, but all Trump is to him in this room is a defendant.

Trump is "fascinating," another potential juror said. Trump walks into a room and just sets people off "one way or the other."

– Aysha Bagchi

Trump lawyer to jurors: Trump wants 'a fair shake'

Trump lawyer Todd Blanche began questioning potential jurors in the early afternoon. "This isn't a baseball game," Blanche started off by saying. This is extraordinarily serious, and it's extraordinarily important to President Trump that we're getting "a fair shake."

– Aysha Bagchi

Who is Karen McDougal?

Karen McDougal is a former Playboy model. She indirectly received a hush money payment in 2016 after claiming to have an affair with Donald Trump.

Michael Cohen, Trump's former attorney, funneled the money through the publication National Enquirer owned by American Media Inc., under a "catch and kill" approach, paying the tabloid to buy rights to her story and prevent her from telling anyone else about it.

McDougal has since spoken out about her affair with Trump, saying it lasted for about 10 months starting in 2006. He denies the allegation.

– Kinsey Crowley 

Prosecutor references Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels, asks if jurors can keep open mind on witnesses with 'baggage'

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told potential jurors that several witnesses in the case have some "baggage." He said they include a tabloid publisher, an adult film star, and a former lawyer for Trump, Michael Cohen. The adult film star Steinglass referenced is almost certainly Stormy Daniels, who received the $130,000 hush money payment at issue in the case.

Cohen pleaded guilty to several crimes, including lying to Congress, Steinglass noted, adding that some witnesses have been given immunity.

Steinglass said those are factors that should be taken into account by jurors, but asked if those factors would, on their own, prevent the potential jurors from listening to or believing the witnesses. No one said they would.

– Aysha Bagchi

Trump changes mind on listening to private talk between lawyers and judge

A lawyer for Trump previously indicated the former president wanted to be present for "sidebars" in the trial. Those are communications between the judge and at least one lawyer from each side that are outside the earshot of the potential jurors.

But a little past noon on Tuesday, after lawyers from each side went up to Judge Juan Merchan for a private conversation, the judge asked Trump to confirm that he was now waiving his right to be present for those conversations. Trump confirmed he was.

There are various reasons to have a sidebar, such as a lawyer's desire to explain an objection to something when giving that explanation means saying things that could prejudice the jury.

– Aysha Bagchi

Would-be juror Kara McGee reports on happenings inside the courtroom, says jury box is balanced

"You walked in and you felt like history was happening which was a really, really cool sensation," excused potential juror Kara McGee told a crowded field of reporters.. "I wish I could have stayed for the entire trial. It's fascinating, it's unprecedented."

"You got a sense that people were really trying to put anything they had brought to this aside and step in and do their civic duty," McGee said. She reported being pleasantly surprised at the honesty of fellow jurors ? some disclosed they were on Trump mailing lists or watched Fox News, while others said they had volunteered for anti-Trump causes, giving a clearer picture of the political makeup of the jury, which she said seemed fairly balanced.

McGee herself is "not a fan" of the former president. During COVID-19 she lived with someone who was immunocompromised and wasn't pleased with how he had handled the pandemic. She also has a sister adopted from China and cited his divisive rhetoric about the country.

Her views on his policies don't mean he shouldn't get his day in court though, she said.

"Something extremely important in this country, especially in this age where en masse we do not trust each other, is the right to a fair trial," McGee said. "No matter what you think of someone as a person and what other things they may have done, what he is on trial for is a very specific thing that even he deserves the right to a fair trial"

?Anna Kaufman 

Lawyers begin addressing jury candidates directly

Around 11:37 a.m. ET, lawyers began to ask potential jurors questions directly. Before, the jury candidates had only been answering questions from a 42-question list Judge Juan Merchan decided on before the trial.

Joshua Steinglass from the Manhattan District Attorney's office was the first lawyer to speak. He introduced himself and his team, and said they are trying to pick jurors who will be fair to the defense and to the prosecution.

"Let's start with the obvious," Steinglass said, noting Trump is a former president and current presidential candidate. Steinglass said jurors aren't expected to have been living under a rock; the important thing is that jurors are able to be fair.

– Aysha Bagchi

Defendant Trump to hold political rally Saturday in North Carolina

The Trump campaign is moving forward with plans to hold political rallies around the hush money trial, scheduling an event for Saturday in Wilmington, N.C.

The airport rally is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. on Saturday; the trial takes weekends off.

North Carolina is an important state in the fall presidential race between Trump and President Joe Biden.

Trump carried North Carolina by narrow margins in 2016 and 2020, but Biden supporters believe that issues like abortion and Trump's criminal cases give them a chance to flip the state this fall.

?David Jackson

Dismissed juror touts importance of fair trial

Kara McGee, a dismissed juror, exited the courtroom Tuesday afternoon to a swarm of microphones and cameras eager to hear what she thought of the former president and why she had been ousted from the pool.

McGee is one of the roughly 500 potential jurors called Monday when the trial kicked off. She was released Tuesday for scheduling conflicts with her cyber-security job.

"It was a little bit surreal to be that close to a former president, someone who's been on the news in the public eye so much," McGee told reporters. She reported looking down on the questionnaire while in the jury box and making only minimal eye contact with Trump who she assumed was looking at her.

Some of the questions she was asked dealt with whether she had an opinion on the defendant being a former president, and how that should affect the trial. Mcgee told the judge she could be unbiased. "It's very difficult for anyone really in this country to not come to this with prior opinions, I think we all have prior opinions about the defendant unless you've been living in a cardboard box since 2014," she said. "But, personally, the right to a fair trial in this country is more important to me than anything this particular defendant has done or any feelings about him I personally have."

?Anna Kaufman

Trump mutters at defense table as potential juror says he is being treated fairly

Former President Donald Trump could be seen muttering at the defense table after a potential juror said she believed he was being treated fairly in the case.

The woman, who has lived in New York for more than 20 years, was responding to one of the questions each potential juror is being asked: "Do you have any feelings or opinions about how Mr. Trump is being treated in this case?"

The woman was later excused after she said she was "not 100%" sure she could be impartial in the case.

– Aysha Bagchi

How long will the Trump trial last? 

The trial will last about six-to-eight weeks, according to a court media advisory.

The proceedings are generally scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday each week. The court may make some accommodations for the Passover holiday in April. Trump has asked for May 17 off for Barron Trump's high school graduation, but the judge has not yet issued a ruling on the request.

-Kinsey Crowley and Aysha Bagchi

Juror with Republican friends and family excused over bias concerns

A potential juror who said he believed he had unconscious bias that could get in the way of being impartial was excused Tuesday morning.

Originally from Texas, the man added he wasn't sure he could be fair and impartial. Judge Juan Merchan then told him there was a need for an unequivocal assurance that he can be impartial. The potential juror said growing up he had a bunch of Republican family and friends and it would "probably" be hard to be impartial.

After conferring privately with attorneys, Merchan excused the man from service.

– Aysha Bagchi

Trump would rather be on the campaign trail

The former president and presumptive Republican nominee argued as he entered the courtroom Tuesday that he should be campaigning in state such as Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina and Georgia rather than attending the trial. He alleged again without evidence that the trial was being directed from the Biden White House.

“They’re using this in order to try and win an election,” Trump said.

?Bart Jansen

Monday featured mass dismissals of potential jurors

The beginning of jury selection Monday afternoon demonstrated how many New Yorkers will be quickly deemed ineligible. About 96 potential jurors came into the courtroom and more than 50 were swiftly excused because they said they couldn't be fair and impartial. At least 10 more potential jurors were excused later for other reasons, leaving a much smaller group.

In total, the New York criminal court has called upon 500 New Yorkers to potentially comprise the 12 jurors and several alternates who will be asked to hear all the evidence in the trial.

?Aysha Bagchi

New Yorkers unperturbed by Trump trial circus

New Yorkers who work in the Manhattan courts lined up behind police barricades to enter as NYPD officers reported there was a security freeze while Trump entered Tuesday morning.

Dan Horwitz, a white-collar defense attorney who had a case later that day sat in nearby Foley Park. “You get used to it,” he said of the interruptions the former presidents cases have caused “It’s just another day in New York.”

Jury selection may take some time, he says, but he does think it’s possible to find an impartial bench. “Jurors take their jobs seriously, it’s New York so you gotta weed out the nuts and people who are going to say 'I hate this guy,'” he said, “but most people take it seriously.”

?Anna Kaufman

As crowds dissipate, Trump becomes just another New Yorker getting his day in court

Day 2 of Donald Trump's first criminal trial kicked off with little fanfare. Even the modest crowds from the day before had dissipated leaving just two pro-Trump demonstrators wandering outside the courthouse.

?Anna Kaufman

Trump continues futile call for judge's recusal

In his pre-trial statement to the press Tuesday morning, Trump repeated his argument that Judge Juan Merchan should be removed from the case because his daughter works for Democratic politicians.

Merchan has refused to withdraw, noting that the New York State Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics' found Merchan's impartiality couldn't be reasonably questioned. The New York City Bar Association has described Trump's accusation of bias as "baseless."

Trump said legal scholars such as Jonathan Turley and Andrew McCarthy have called the prosecution a “disgrace.”

“It should have never happened,” Trump said. “It should have been thrown out a long time ago.”

?Bart Jansen

Jurors are running late, judge says

Judge Juan Merchan arrived in the courtroom at about 9:45 a.m. ET for the second day of trial proceedings. After the lawyers identified themselves and Trump, Merchan said, "Good morning, counsel, good morning Mr. Trump." Trump made a displeased expression as the judge acknowledged him.

The judge said two potential jurors still haven't arrived, while a third has arrived despite feeling sick. Although she indicated she had tested negative for COVID-19, she also said she didn't feel well enough to be there. After checking with the lawyers, Merchan excused her from service.

Trump lawyer Todd Blanche said the missing jurors are running more than 15 minutes late and asked that they be excused from service. Merchan indicated he will give them at least a couple more minutes.

– Aysha Bagchi

Trump contends payments accurately described as ‘legal expenses’

Former President Donald Trump gave a preview of his defense Tuesday at his New York criminal trial by arguing his payments to his former lawyer Michael Cohen ? which the prosecution and Cohen say were reimbursements for hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels ? were accurately described as “legal expenses” on his company records.

“I was paying a lawyer and marked it down as a legal expense – some accountant, I didn’t know – marked it down as a legal expense,” Trump said during a two-minute statement to reporters before entering court. “That’s exactly what it was. And you get an indictment over that?”

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records. Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 to silence her claim before the 2016 election about having had sex with Trump in 2006, while Trump was married. Trump has denied her allegation.

?Bart Jansen

Trump arrives in courtroom for day 2 of hush money trial

Donald Trump entered the courtroom and sat down at the defense table at 9:30 a.m. ET Tuesday for the second day of his New York hush money trial. He is wearing a blue suit jacket and striped blue tie.

Jury selection is expected to resume in the morning. Judge Juan Merchan sizably whittled down the first batch of about 96 potential jurors on Monday. Dozens were excused because they said they couldn't be fair and impartial in the case, while several more were let go for other reasons.

– Aysha Bagchi

Trump trial day 2: schedule and location

The trial is scheduled to reconvene at 9:30 a.m. today at the criminal court in lower Manhattan.

The legal teams are expected to pick up where they left off yesterday, questioning dozens of potential jurors.

Proceedings are likely to run through the afternoon with a break for lunch. The trial takes off on Wednesdays, so after today, the trial will reconvene on Thursday morning.

?Kinsey Crowley

Monday was a bad day for Trump

Inside the courtroom, Monday wasn't a good day for the former president.

Judge Juan Merchan opened proceedings by denying Trump's request for the judge's recusal. Trump argued Merchan should get off the case because his daughter leads a marketing agency that does work for Democratic political candidates. But Merchan noted the determination by the New York State Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics that his impartiality couldn't reasonably be questioned based on his daughter's work because the Trump case doesn't involve her business.

Merchan also denied a similar request from Trump back in August. "The court will not address this matter further," he said Monday.

The Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office also asked for Trump to be held in contempt and fined based on alleged violations of Merchan's gag order on the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Merchan prohibited Trump from publicly commenting on the participation of potential witnesses in the case. But prosecutor Christopher Conroy pointed to three potential violations, including when Trump appeared to refer to Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen as "sleaze bags" on his Truth Social media platform.

The judge scheduled a hearing on the gag order issue for April 23 – a signal he may entertain the prosecution's request.

– Aysha Bagchi

Protests fizzle out on second day of Trump’s trial

As reporters slowly trickled inside the Manhattan Criminal Court Tuesday morning, the park across from the courthouse was mostly empty aside from a handful of people sitting on benches. Near the court, a man held up a pro-Trump flag. Another man, wearing a black balaclava, held a sign “Israel vs. TikTok.”

-Eduardo Cuevas

Was Trump sleeping at the New York trial?

Trump glared at New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman for several seconds when he walked out of the Manhattan courtroom during a short break Monday afternoon. Haberman reported earlier in the day that the presumptive Republican presidential frontrunner appeared to be sleeping in the courtroom: she saw his head drop down multiple times and his mouth go slack.

– Aysha Bagchi

Trump and supporters complain about possibly missing his son’s graduation ceremony

Donald Trump is continuing to campaign for the White House during his criminal trial in New York, but he and his allies are complaining about how the case could hinder his other priorities, such as attending Supreme Court arguments or his son’s graduation ceremony.

Judge Juan Merchan acknowledged attending arguments April 25 over whether the former president is immune from federal prosecution is important, but not as much as the trial on charges he falsified business records to hide hush money payments.

“This shows such great disdain and disrespect for our Nation’s Highest Court, especially for a topic so important as Presidential Immunity, without which our Country would never be the same!” Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social.Trump also asked to not appear at the trial May 17, so he could attend his son Barron’s high school graduation. Merchan said he’d think about it.

Trump called Merchan a “highly biased Judge” and the case a “Witch Hunt.” Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s former campaign lawyer and a co-defendant in his election racketeering case in Georgia, also blasted the decision as if it was already made. “Heartless and cruel,” Giuliani wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “These people have no heart or soul.”?Bart Jansen

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump hush money trial day 2 recap: Judge Merchan selects 7 jurors