Donald Trump rants he's been 'stripped of his constitutional rights' in hush money trial
The jury selection process had been plagued by a host of dismissals as identities were revealed and strong opinions on Donald Trump were expressed.
Donald Trump was reportedly spotted in a Manhatten courtroom hallway claiming his constitutional rights have been taken away as the fourth day of his historic hush money trial continues.
The former president allegedly made the comments just before re-entering the courtroom for a short break after the morning session.
He was thought to be referring to Judge Juan Merchan's gag order, which prevents him from dishing out insults about prosecutors, jurors, court staff, and their families.
Trump reportedly said: “They’ve taken away my constitutional rights to speak and that includes speaking to you."
He added that people "are allowed to speak about me and I have a gag order, just to show you how much more unfair it is".
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts for falsifying business records concerning an alleged payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
THIS LIVE BLOG IS CLOSED.
KEY EVENTS
- NYPD gives update outside Manhattan courthouse20:56
- Man 'sets himself on fire' outside Trump's hush money trial19:13
- Alternates selected for Trump's jury18:16
- Donald Trump laughs in court as juror mentions ex-wife during hush-money trial selection14:04
- The 12 jurors in criminal hush money trial revealed11:56
Trump calls the trial a ‘witch hunt’
Trump returned to the cameras to deliver a brief closing message following his first week as a criminal defendant.
“This is really a concerted witch hunt, very simple,” Trump charged to reporters.
The presumptive GOP nominee complained of his treatment in New York, calling out Arthur Engoron and Lewis Kaplan, the judges who heard his earlier New York civil fraud trial and defamation case.
“What’s happening here with the judicial system is an outrage,” he said, before casting the case, yet again, as an effort to damage his candidacy.
“This is the only way they think they can win but it’s not going to work,” he said.
Court is adjourned
Trump left the courtroom without coming to speak to the cameras. But when asked whether he would testify, he turned his head and shouted, “Yes!”
Man's chilling last social media post before setting himself on fire outside Trump trial
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside of the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse where former president Donald Trump is sitting for his New York hush money trial.
The NYPD identified the man as Max Azzarello, 37, from Florida. NYPD officials said Azzarello had used an "alcohol-based substance used for cleaning" to set himself on fire, after throwing "propaganda-based" flyers into the air.
Azzarello could be clearly seen lying on the ground on fire at around 1.30 pm. Passersby rushed to douse the flames and he was rushed away on a stretcher by emergency crews.
Azzarello made a chilling last post on social media prior to the incident on Friday. In a story on his Instagram account, Azzarello wrote the words "I love you" several times.
The story seemed to suggest that Azzarello was unsure if he would survive his act of protest.
Trump’s lawyers fight to keep his other court cases out of this trial
Trump’s lawyers are fighting to keep prosecutors from questioning him, if he testifies, about the outcome of his recent civil fraud trial as well as a separate defamation case.
In the fraud trial, state Judge Arthur Engoron found that Trump, his company and key executives deceived bankers and insurers for years by grossly padding his wealth on financial statements used to secure loans and coverage.
In the second case, a jury found that Trump defamed writer E. Jean Carroll after she accused him of sexual assault years earlier.
Trump lawyer Emil Bove argued those allegations, dating to the 1990s, are “too attenuated, too far back in time to call into question President Trump’s credibility at this trial.”
Trump has said he wants to testify at the hush money trial, but he is not required to and can always change his mind.
Judge Merchan said he would reserve judgment on whether prosecutors can ask Trump about his past legal setbacks if he chooses to testify. Merchan said he would issue a decision in the coming days.
Court is back in session
Donald Trump raised his fist before returning to the courtroom on Friday afternoon.
With jury selection done, there is now a hearing on prosecutors’ desire to question the former president, if he testifies, about his recent civil court losses.
NYPD gives update outside Manhattan courthouse
The man who set himself on fire across the street from the courthouse is in critical condition in a burn unit, police said Friday.
The man first walked into the park around 1:30 p.m., took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories and spread them around the park before he doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials said.
Officials believe the man had traveled from Florida to New York in the last few days.
Authorities said they were also reviewing the security protocols outside the courthouse.
“We are very concerned. Of course we are going to review our security protocols,” Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said.
The NYPD identified the man as Max Azzarello, 37, from Florida.
NYPD says there's no threats to public safety following incident
Following an incident where a man set himself on fire outside Trump's trial in New York City on Friday, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry said in a post on X that there are no threats to public safety.
Daughtry wrote: "Just finished briefing the @nypdpc with @NYPDChiefOfDept and @NYPDDetectives regarding the incident that occurred at 80 Center Street. At this time there are no public safety threats, please expect increased traffic congestion in the area as our detectives conduct their investigation."
Just finished briefing the @nypdpc with @NYPDChiefOfDept and @NYPDDetectives regarding the incident that occurred at 80 Center Street.
\u2014 NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Operations Kaz Daughtry (@NYPDDaughtry) April 19, 2024
At this time there are no public safety threats, please expect increased traffic congestion in the area as our detectives conduct their\u2026 pic.twitter.com/cQOE1Dihhu
Court was being dismissed for break right as fire broke out
Judge Juan M. Merchan, seemingly unaware of what was unfolding outside, told newly selected jurors that opening statements are set for Monday at 9:30 a.m.
Merchan is expected to hold a hearing Friday at 3:15 p.m. on the prosecution’s desire to question Trump, should he testify, regarding his recent civil court losses.
Full jury panel selected in Trump's trial
Six alternate jurors have now been chosen for Trump's trial, and they have all been sworn in.
Judge Juan Merchan told the jurors he expects the trial to begin on Monday.
The court is now adjourned for lunch.
Man 'sets himself on fire' outside Trump's hush money trial
A man has reportedly set himself on fire 50 yards from the Manhattan courthouse where Donald Trump's hush money trial is being held.
The former president was inside the courtroom when the incident took place.
It came after the court adjourned for lunch with a fully jury already having been selected earlier in the day.
A person could be clearly seen lying on the ground on fire. People then rushed over with a fire extinguisher and worked to bat the flames away.
Meet the 12 jurors that will listen to Trump's trial
Lawyers worked Friday to round out the panel of 12 jurors and six alternates who will hear Donald Trump’s hush money trial, as the former president railed against a gag order that has prosecutors seeking to hold him in contempt of court.
After a jury of 12 New Yorkers was seated Thursday, lawyers turned their attention to picking alternates who can vow to impartially judge the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Thursday’s proceedings demonstrated the unpredictability of the jury selection process in such a high-profile case, with two jurors who had been seated a day earlier being dismissed from the panel.
Here’s a look at the 12 jurors who will hear Trump’s hush money trial.
Alternates selected for Trump's jury
Several alternates have been chosen on Friday for Donald Trump's New York hush money trial.
One chosen alternate juror is a woman from Spain who is not currently working and is married with adult children. She said she does not follow the news and does not have social media accounts.
She said in court on Friday that she doesn't "have strong opinions about former President Donald Trump that would interfere" with the ability to be a fair and impartial juror.
Another alternate selected is a native New Yorker.
Another chosen alternate said she's "not a big news person" but looks at the New York Times, Reuters, and the BBC. She said she has social media but does not use it much.
This brings the total number of alternate jurors selected in Trump's hush money case to four.
Good afternoon
Good afternoon, I'm Isabelle Durso reporting from New York. I'll be taking over live coverage of Donald Trump's hush money trial.
Tips or comments? Email [email protected]
Biden hit by worst ratings ever in key areas as five states could decide fate - POLL
US voters have trashed Joe Biden's record as President in a new poll giving him his worst ratings ever on a range of key policy areas.
But the findings by the Democracy Institute reveal that while Americans overall think Donald Trump was the much better President, the narrow margins in the swing states mean that Biden could still win the election in November.
The survey of 1,500 likely voters revealed that overall across the whole of the USA, Trump has a commanding five point lead over Biden by 42 percent to 37 percent with former Democrat turned independent Robert F. Kennedy in third on 14 percent.
But the polling dramatically narrows in the key swing states to 44 percent for Trump and 41 percent for Biden, giving Trump a three point lead.
Donald Trump laughs in court as juror mentions ex-wife during hush-money trial selection
Donald Trump appeared to enjoy a bit of a chuckle after his former wife was mentioned by a prospective juror in his hush money trial.
The former president witnessed the whole selection of the jury over the course of three days, repeatedly sparking the fury of the judge after he was caught using his phone.
The prospective juror, a retired university administrator, was asked about what she knew about Trump and she recalled spotting him and his second wife Marla Maples shopping around New York.
She said: "I am born and raised in Brooklyn, New York... I once saw him and Marla Maples shopping for baby things." After his ex-wife was mentioned, Trump could be seen chuckling.
The likely Republican presidential nominee was married to Maples, an actress and television personality, between 1993 and 1999. Their only daughter Tiffany was born in 1993.
Donald Trump's 'mental state' hurting him in court as psychiatrist sends huge warning
Donald Trump's "mental state" is affecting him in court during his ongoing legal battles, a psychiatrist has claimed in an exclusive interview with Daily Express US.
The former President is currently standing in his first of four criminal trials this week. This trial relates to allegations he paid hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair.
Trump strenuously denies any wrongdoing. He has pleaded not guilty to the 34 felony counts put to him and denies ever having an affair with Daniels.
The trial also comes after a New York judge ordered Trump to pay $454million (including interest) for inflating the value of his assets to secure favorable loans and business deals.
The 12 jurors in criminal hush money trial revealed
The world held its breath amid the topsy-turvy jury selection process for Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial, but the 12-person panel has finally been chosen.
The wait to see which jurors would help decide the former president’s fate in the hush money case had been a rollercoaster ride involving problems of impartiality and revealed identities.
But now, we know the jury is made up of seven men and five women with a wide range of backgrounds and live in various parts of Manhattan, from Harlem to Hell’s Kitchen.
Multiple jurors who remain said they held no strong opinions on the controversial man at the centre of the trial, while others said they do not keep up with current affairs.
While the exact ages and ethnicities of those on the jury have been kept a secret, their jobs have been revealed
Donald Trump hush money: Six things to know before trial begins this week
Donald Trump will make history as the first former president to stand trial on criminal charges when his hush money case opens Monday with jury selection.
The case will force the presumptive Republican presidential nominee to juggle campaigning with sitting in a Manhattan courtroom for weeks to defend himself against charges involving a scheme to bury allegations of marital infidelity that arose during his first White House campaign in 2016.
It carries enormous political ramifications as potentially the only one of four criminal cases against Trump that could reach a verdict before voters decide in November whether to send him back to the White House.
Here are six things to know about the hush money case and the charges against Trump.
Good morning
Good morning.
I'm Jacob Paul and I'll be bringing you the latest updates on the fourth day of Donald Trump's hush-money trial.
Get in touch if you have story tips.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @JacobPaul1997