Donald Trump expressed frustration that his Manhattan hush money trial might cause him to miss his son Barron’s high school graduation. The trial could last up to eight weeks, and Trump’s attorneys had requested the trial not be held on the day of his son’s graduation, but the judge was non-committal. Additionally, Trump had requested to be excused next Thursday in order to attend Supreme Court arguments, which was also denied by the judge.
During the trial, a pool of potential jurors was screened, with at least 50 being excused for stating that they could not be impartial in judging the former president. By the end of the day, 32 prospective jurors were left. One of the potential jurors, a bookseller from the Upper West Side, expressed his belief that nobody is above the law, whether it be a former president or a janitor, and that he could judge fairly in the trial.
Donald Trump, who has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in relation to hush money payment to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, faces up to four years in prison if convicted. The trial is significant as it marks the first criminal prosecution of a US president. Because it is a criminal trial, Trump is required to attend court every day that it is in session. The trial is set to run every weekday except Wednesdays.
Despite Trump’s frustrations with the scheduling of the trial and the denial of his requests to be excused on certain days, the judge remained firm in his decisions. Trump expressed his displeasure with the judge’s decisions, stating sarcastically that he appreciated not being able to attend his son’s graduation but being unable to attend Supreme Court arguments. He believes that the judge’s decisions are feeding into what he perceives as the desires of the radical left Democrats.
The trial is expected to delve into the allegations of Trump falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to Daniels. District Attorney Alvin Bragg asserts that this was part of a scheme to hide a damaging story from voters during the 2016 presidential campaign. As the trial progresses, more potential jurors will be screened, and Trump’s fate will be in the hands of the final jury selected.Overall, the trial has significant implications for the former president and could have a lasting impact on his future.
