Shortly after the lunch break, after the first group of about 100 potential jurors showed up and Merchan began explaining the process to them, Trump repeatedly turned a blind eye. He then suddenly recovered and stiffened his posture.
His lawyers, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, refilled his glass and gave each other awkward glances at the defense table.
The trial is not televised and photos are only permitted before the trial begins. But a small group of reporters are watching jury selection from inside the courtroom, and dozens more are watching a video feed in an adjacent courtroom. Different journalists have different views on Trump at different times.
Trump’s most animated moments in court Monday morning occurred when the judge was not on the bench; he chatted with his lawyers at the defense table, sometimes making them laugh or smile.
He also closely observed the entry of the prospective jurors into the room and their questioning.
In the hallway outside the courtroom, where Trump is allowed to speak in front of television cameras, he openly disdained the case, in which he is accused of falsifying business records to try to hide a payment secrecy during the 2016 presidential election.
“This is an attack on America,” Trump said. He called the case “a political prosecution…that should never have been brought.”
washingtonpost
