Donald Trump arrived at court of Manhattan for his historic criminal trial, where he faces charges of falsifying documents to conceal money he paid to buy former porn star Stormy Daniels’ silence before the 2016 election.
The 77-year-old Republican tycoon thus becomes the first former president in US history to be tried by a criminal court. The hearing could drag on for weeks and complicate his bid to return to the White House in the November election.
The trial will begin with the selection of 12 jurors, which is expected to last about a week. Witness statements will follow. Trump himself has said he plans to testify at his trial.
A heavy police force was deployed outside the court, amid a maze of metal security fences. Helicopters flew overhead, shadowing the motorcade of black SUVs in which Trump and his entourage arrived at the courthouse from his Trump Tower apartment. A small number of protesters had gathered in the square across the street, holding placards with slogans such as “Lost” and “Condemn Trump Now.”
Although the case is seen by some lawyers as the least important of the four criminal trials he is facing, it is the only one that is certain to go to trial before the November 5 election. Trump has pleaded not guilty. If found guilty, he could still run for president, but a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed a guilty verdict would hurt his chances of being elected. The businessman-turned-politician has used his previous court appearances to rally his followers and declare that he is being persecuted by his political rivals.
New York State prosecutors accuse him of falsifying documents to conceal a $130,000 payment to Daniels just days before the 2016 presidential election. His purpose was to buy her silence about the affair she claimed they had had. in 2006.
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