Donald Trump seemed unfazed by the prospect of a grueling second day of jury selection as he left Trump Tower Monday morning.
The former president appeared to be in good spirits as he exited his Manhattan residence and prepared for the trip downtown to court.
Wearing a striped blue tie and light blue shirt, he waved and pointed to the crowd in the street before joining the procession.
On Monday, the judge warned him that he could be jailed for bad behavior and criticized warnings that he might have to skip his son Barron’s high school graduation.
Donald Trump didn’t seem fazed by a grueling second day of jury selection as he left Trump Tower Monday morning.
Although he was stuck in court, he collected more than $1 million in donations during the first day of the Manhattan criminal trial, his daughter-in-law Lara said.
The co-chairman of the Republican National Committee said the average contribution was $28 and addressed the matter of silence.
“The American people voted yesterday in favor of Donald Trump with a million and a half dollars raised for his campaign,” she declared Tuesday morning on Fox and Friends.
The average donation was $28, so even here in Biden’s disastrous economy, people are stepping up and financially supporting this president.
Hundreds of potential jurors will return to court this morning to go through the grueling process of joining the panel.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to falsifying business records to help cover up an alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
Wearing a striped blue tie and light blue shirt, he waved and pointed to the crowd in the street before joining the procession.
Although he was stuck in court, he collected more than $1 million in donations during the first day of the Manhattan criminal trial, his daughter-in-law Lara said.
The marathon task of trying America’s most famous man: Trump ‘smiled’ as he became the first ex-president to be tried
By ROB CRILLY, SENIOR AMERICAN POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM IN MANHATTAN CRIMINAL COURT, NEW YORK
The first trial of a former US president did not begin with fireworks, angry arguments or theatrics.
It began with a moment of quiet solemnity as 96 potential jurors were sworn in in Manhattan Criminal Court Monday afternoon.
And then half were fired after admitting there was no possible way to stop their strong feelings about Donald Trump from getting in the way of a fair verdict.
Trump, whose norm-shattering tenure gave way to a shattering post-presidency, faced a grim face throughout much of the proceedings.
“You are about to participate in a jury trial. The jury trial system is one of the cornerstones of our justice system,” Judge Juan Merchan told dozens of potential jurors arrayed before him.
Former US President Donald Trump became the first former president to stand trial when a jury was sworn in Monday afternoon in Manhattan Criminal Court.
Trump greeted reporters as he left the courtroom during a break in 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 falsified business records to hide payments allegedly made to silence ex-lovers before the 2016 election — some jurors craned their necks to have a view of the blonde figure. in front of them.
Trump stood and turned to look at them as Merchan introduced him and his legal team. The former president offered a tight-lipped smile as he surveyed the New Yorkers who might hold the fate of the 2024 election in their hands.
Merchan read a list of potential 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 such as Melania and Don Jr, in going through Trump’s former lawyers, Rudy Giuliani. and Michael Cohen, and his White House officials such as Reince Priebus.
It will be difficult to find a dozen men and women (plus alternates) who don’t have strong opinions about Trump or the witnesses. Especially in a liberal enclave like Manhattan, where Trump won just 12% of the vote in 2020.
In fact, the judge set himself an easier task: find a dozen people who could put aside their feelings and render a verdict based solely on the evidence they had.
Or maybe not.
When he asked the first group of potential jurors if they couldn’t be impartial in this case, 50 of them immediately raised their hands and were excused.
Trump turned and craned his neck to watch them leave Courtroom 1530, whispering to his lead lawyer Todd Blanche.
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