"This trial is starting," Merchan declared on Friday, following the successful selection of a full panel of 12 jurors and six alternates for this historic trial.
In a last-ditch effort, Trump's legal team appealed to a Manhattan court on Friday afternoon, seeking a delay in the trial and a change of venue. They contended that Trump could not receive a fair and impartial jury in New York City, despite the successful selection of a jury earlier that day. However, their request was promptly denied by the appeals court.
Trump, who has been vocal about his belief that the six-week trial is hindering his campaign against President Joe Biden, criticized Judge Merchan for expediting the proceedings. He alleged that the judge was advancing the trial "as fast as possible" for his own reasons, not Trump's, and labeled the case a "witch hunt."
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The conclusion of the four-day jury selection process was marred by a disturbing incident outside the courthouse, where a man set himself ablaze. New York Police Department Chief Jeffrey Maddrey reported that the man walked into a park opposite the courthouse, distributed pamphlets promoting various conspiracy theories, and then doused himself with a liquid accelerant before setting himself on fire. The man is currently in critical condition at a nearby hospital's burn center.
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The jury selection process for this unprecedented criminal trial was not without its challenges. Several potential jurors were dismissed due to their inability to remain impartial in a case involving the former president. A few individuals expressed anxiety or "self-doubt" about the prospect of serving on the jury.
Following the lunch break on Friday, Judge Merchan conducted a Sandoval hearing, designed to inform Trump about potential lines of questioning from prosecutors if he chooses to testify under oath. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office indicated that if Trump testifies, they plan to challenge his credibility by questioning him about his various other legal battles, including two significant civil judgments he has been ordered to pay in New York.
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In February, Trump was ordered to pay $454 million in fines and interest after a state judge found him liable for fraudulently inflating his asset values to boost his net worth and secure financial benefits. In a separate case in January, a New York federal civil court ordered Trump to pay $83 million to writer E. Jean Carroll for defaming her when he denied her allegations of rape in a Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s. A federal jury had previously found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll. Trump is currently appealing both the business fraud and defamation verdicts.
Despite these legal battles, Trump has expressed his willingness to testify in the hush money trial, although he is not required to do so. The former president, who is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has repeatedly denounced the trial as a "scam" and a "witch hunt" designed to undermine his chances against President Biden in the upcoming election.
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Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records as part of an alleged scheme to conceal a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who claims to have had a sexual encounter with Trump while he was married years ago.
Manhattan District Attorney Bragg alleges that the payment, made by Trump's then-lawyer Michael Cohen, was intended to influence the 2016 presidential election by concealing damaging information from voters. Trump has consistently denied having a sexual relationship with Daniels.
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