Trump arrived at the court in New York/photo: Reuters
Republican candidate Donald Trump will make history today (Monday) when he becomes the first former President of the United States to face criminal charges, in the midst of the election campaign at the end of which he aims to defeat incumbent President Joe Biden and return to the White House.
Today's trial, which will begin at 4:30 p.m. in New York, is one of four criminal cases involving the 77-year-old former president. It will deal with the hush money paid to porn actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, which was allegedly paid for by falsifying business documents.
It is considered the least serious affair - the rest deal with his attempts to change the results of the 2020 elections and the illegal storage of classified documents in his estate - but at the end of it, Trump may become a convicted person, shaking the already stormy campaign.
Trump claims that the legal proceedings against him are part of the persecution of the Biden administration, and he promises "revenge" if he wins the presidency again. Biden and the Democratic Party warn that American democracy hangs in the balance in the upcoming November election, and polls show a close race with an advantage for Trump in several key states.
"I've been indicted more than Al Capone, the biggest gangster," Trump told supporters at a large rally in Pennsylvania, one of the key states, on Saturday. "There is nothing here. No misdemeanor, no felony, no federal offense."
In an unusual and risky move for him, Trump chose to testify during the trial, even though today's hearing will focus on the selection of the 12 jurors and their replacements. The candidates to serve as jurors are ordinary citizens, who will have to answer various questions such as whether they were members of extreme right-wing organizations.
According to the indictment against Trump, he paid from the company's funds to Michael Cohen, who was at the time his lawyer and does his bidding, who paid Stormy Daniels out of his own pocket so that she would not be interviewed before the 2016 election about a sexual relationship she allegedly had in the past with Trump.
A New York grand jury indicted Trump in March of last year over the payments made to Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, including 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Trump may use the trial, which should last up to two months, as a platform to clash with his political opponents and the administration, which he says is waging a "legal war" against him in order to harm his chances of being re-elected.
In recent days, the former president tried to move the trial from New York and repeatedly postponed it, but all his efforts were in vain. Trump claims he will not receive a fair trial in the Democratic city, whose character was an inseparable part of it for decades when he was a real estate mogul and reality TV star before entering politics.
But even if Trump is convicted, he will be able to appeal to higher courts, and most importantly for him - this will not prevent him from running for president and even winning the elections on November 5. The three other trials of Trump, who is using the criminal proceedings against him to raise funds and supporters, are facing many delays.
Trump has not ruled out granting himself a pardon in case he is convicted while still president, an unprecedented issue that is also expected to reach the Supreme Court's doorstep.
Last week, the judge extended an order he issued against Trump prohibiting him from attacking those involved in the trial, expanding it to include his family members and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the lead prosecutor in the trial.
The extension of the order came after Trump lashed out at Judge Marchan and his daughter in a series of posts on his Truth Social social network.
"It matters to the American public and many voters whether a jury finds Trump guilty of criminal misconduct," said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond. "This finding may affect how they vote this November."
New Yorkers did not show much sympathy for Trump. "I don't know if he'll get a fair trial, but whatever, he brought this on himself," said Alberto Vasquez, 45.