Takeaways from the first day of the Trump hush money trial
CNN
The first criminal trial of former President Donald Trump is here.
The first criminal trial of former President Donald Trump is here. The opening day of the first criminal trial of a former US president began Monday, hitting home the reality that the presumptive Republican nominee for president will be sitting in a Manhattan courtroom as a defendant four days a week. Trump, who has pleaded not guilty to the 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, sat alongside his three attorneys as jury selection began, watching them debate prosecutors over what evidence could be admitted and passing notes as they spoke. Choosing a roster of 12 jurors who can decide Trump’s fate will be difficult, as more than 50 people immediately were dismissed when they said they couldn’t be fair and impartial. Trump did little talking inside the courtroom Monday. But his incendiary rhetoric was once again at issue, with a new call from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for Judge Juan Merchan to sanction Trump for violating the judge’s gag order. Here are the key takeaways from day one of “The People of the State of New York vs Donald Trump.”
Donald Trump continues to hold an advantage over President Joe Biden as the campaign – and Trump’s criminal trial – move forward, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS. And in the coming rematch, opinions about the first term of each man vying for a second four years in the White House now appear to work in Trump’s favor, with most Americans saying that, looking back, Trump’s term as president was a success, while a broad majority says Biden’s has so far been a failure.