Trump faces trial in New York amid tensions over jury selection

NEW YORK, April 17 – Donald Trump appeared on Tuesday in a Manhattan court, where he is being tried on charges of paying hush money to movie actress Stormy Daniels.

The former US president faces 34 government felonies related to falsifying business records.

The former president told reporters that this trial harms his interests in the presidential campaign, as he should address the masses in Pennsylvania.

The trial of re-election candidate Donald Trump was marked by the selection of a jury that will decide whether the former president is guilty of 34 crimes related to falsifying records, France 24 reported.

Five potential jurors were dismissed Tuesday, April 16, as attorneys try to elect a committee of 12 residents of Manhattan, a heavily Democratic area, to form a neutral party in the case.

So far, it hasn't been easy: Choosing 12 jurors is a huge process due to the polarization around Trump's personality, so the process can take two weeks.

About half of the 96 potential jurors were dismissed after they claimed they could not impartially judge the businessman.

As for the people who were fired Tuesday, they said they had scheduling conflicts, that they were concerned about combining jury service with their jobs, or that they thought more during the night and came to the conclusion that they couldn't be impartial.

Trump, who was executed through his then-lawyer before the 2016 election, wanted to silence them by paying $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels.

The former president pleaded not guilty to all charges against him, claiming that the accusation was part of political persecution aimed at preventing him from occupying the White House again. This case is the first of four criminal cases against Trump that will go to trial.

Speaking to reporters before entering the courtroom, Trump said it was unfair for him to be present at the trial instead of being on the campaign trail. The candidate said that he is convinced that this case comes in response to political persecution, as he put it, to prevent him from returning to the Oval Office.

He noted that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is an extreme Democrat. The prosecutor was responsible for pointing out the 34 serious crimes against Trump. For her part, Daniels admitted that she had a sexual encounter with Trump about a decade ago.

Prosecutors are now also trying to hold Trump accountable for his conduct during the trial. They asked Judge Juan Merchan to fine Trump $1,000 for each social media post made this month criticizing Daniels and Michael Cohen, a former Trump aide who is expected to be a star witness in the trial.

Under Merchan's gag order, Trump is prohibited from making statements about witnesses, court staff and family members seeking to intervene in the case.