A criminal trial begins in New York that will probably make screenwriters green with envy. Donald Trump plays the main role – even if he hardly has anything to say.
The sun casts the first shadows of Manhattan’s skyscrapers on Chinatown; it is 6:30 a.m. and lines have already formed in front of the New York courthouse. Tired journalists from all over the world are lined up, hoping for at least a seat in the next room of the courtroom, where America and the world will look for the next two months.
Former President Donald Trump has been on trial here since Monday. From now on he must appear in court every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Until the process is over. It is probably the only one of the four criminal cases against Trump in which he will have to answer before the presidential election in November. And it is also the one that contains the richest material for a political thriller: It’s about sex, politics and dubious deals.
New York Attorney General Alvin Bragg has charged Trump with a total of 34 crimes, all related to the alleged falsification of business records. These are said to have been done to cover up a hush money payment to the porn star Stormy Daniels. Trump is said to have had an affair with him. The ex-president faces up to four years in prison.
In these first days of the trial, the main room is reserved for the many jury candidates who have not yet been nominated. Twelve jury members and their replacement candidates must first be selected from hundreds of New York citizens who are ideally completely politically neutral. How this is to be guaranteed given Trump’s popularity and whether it is even possible is a crucial point in this process.
Trump is stirring up opposition to the process
The ex-president was also long awake that morning – and angry. Even before he is driven south in an armored car, guarded by the Secret Service, from his Trump Tower near Central Park, he rails against the “radical left-wing Democrats” on his communications platform “Truth Social.” “They’re forcing me to sit in court and spend my money that I could use for the election campaign,” Trump said.
It is the interpretation of many Republicans: They see the case being heard here in New York as a political witch hunt to influence the election campaign in the Democrats’ favor. “Election Interference,” Trump writes, letting his supporters know: “When I enter this courtroom, I know that I have the love of 200 million Americans behind me.”
At around 9 a.m., hundreds of candidates for the jury are allowed into the court. They actually seem like a diverse cross-section of society. Young, old, black, white, women, men, business people, bankers, self-employed people and mothers with children. Twelve of them could actually end up deciding whether Donald Trump is guilty and should go to prison. If there is no unanimous verdict, the process must be reopened. Many of the jury candidates filmed the press crowd in front of the building with their smartphones.
At 9:30 a.m., Donald Trump and his team of lawyers and advisors finally entered the criminal court at 100 Center Street. “Equal rights for all” is carved in large letters on the gray facade. A helicopter circles in the blue sky. Trump turns back to the television cameras and speaks directly into the millions of living rooms across the country: “This trial is an attack on America.”
