Donald Trump faces deep blue jury pool as hush-money case begins

Former president Donald Trump’s fate will be decided by jurors from one of the Democrats’ strongest bases, in a city where he is now largely despised.

Former president Donald Trump appears ahead of the start of jury selection at Manhattan Criminal Court.

Donald Trump’s hush-money trial began Monday in one of the bluest parts of the country, where a jury full of Democrats could decide the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s fate.

Jury selection in the case, involving the alleged coverup of a payment to buy a porn star’s silence, got under way in the afternoon and could take a week or more. The presiding judge, as well as prosecutors and Trump’s lawyers, are expected to question hundreds of prospective jurors to weed out anyone who can’t set aside their views of a former president whose tenure sparked deep divisions.

Picking an impartial jury on Democratic turf, where President Biden won 87% of the vote in the 2020 election, will be challenging, say trial consultants. “I can’t think of another place where he is more loathed than his hometown of New York City,” litigation consultant Alan Tuerkheimer said of Trump.

Seating a jury proved tough from the outset. More than half of the initial group of 96 prospective jurors brought in to answer questions were immediately dismissed. They had raised their hands when asked if they couldn’t be fair and impartial. Another nine were excused when asked if there were other reasons they couldn’t serve.

Trump, wearing a navy blue suit and red tie, sat in a courtroom watching the selection process. The former president looked engaged at times, asking his lawyers questions during the proceedings. Other times, he closed his eyes for brief periods. The former president is required to attend the trial.

The scandal-plagued 77-year-old is accused of falsifying business records in a scheme to cover up an alleged sexual encounter with adult film actress Stormy Daniels to shield his 2016 election campaign from adverse publicity.

Manhattan prosecutors charged Trump last year with 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide a payment to X-rated film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. It was the first of four criminal cases brought against Trump in state and federal courts, and may be the only case that wraps up ahead of the November election. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, of charging him out of political spite.

Trump’s lawyers have said the former president can’t get a fair trial in Manhattan, citing what they describe as negative media coverage of the case and strong anti-Trump sentiment among residents of the island.

His legal team shared with the court a survey it commissioned that showed many Manhattan residents already believe Trump is guilty of at least some of the charges. His lawyers have asked a state appellate court to move his trial to a location outside Manhattan. The request is a long shot.

Prospective jurors answered a list of questions Monday, including where they get their news and if they ever worked or volunteered for Trump’s campaign or an anti-Trump organization. They were also asked if they had strong feelings about a former president being criminally charged.

“I feel that nobody is above the law, whether it be a former president, a sitting president or a janitor,” said one juror, who was expected to face more questions Tuesday.

When asked what she did in her spare time, another juror said she liked to sing, watch television and “go to the club,” drawing some laughs. She was later dismissed because she answered yes to having a strong opinion about Trump that would interfere with her being fair and impartial.

Justice Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the case, previously said he won’t ask jurors about their party affiliations or candidates they have voted for. He has also warned Trump’s lawyers that the purpose of jury selection isn’t to determine whether jurors like or dislike the former president but whether those feelings would interfere with their ability to serve without bias.

Outside the courthouse Monday, security barriers and satellite news trucks flanked the park in front of the criminal courthouse. Scores of reporters surrounded about a dozen demonstrators flying Trump banners and wearing Make America Great Again hats.

Demonstrator Steve Merczynski, a 57-year-old resident of the borough’s Greenwich Village neighborhood, said his fellow Manhattanites couldn’t give Trump a fair trial. “There is so much peer pressure on the community here,” said Merczynski, whose company, MAGA Hammocks, makes Trump-themed hammocks and scarves. The “Fake News” hammock costs $499.24.

On a street nearby, anti-Trump demonstrators said the former president could get a fair trial because Manhattanites were unbiased. “Trump is not above the law,” the demonstrators chanted.

Shortly before lunch, prosecutors asked Merchan to fine Trump $3,000 for violating a gag order that barred him from publicly commenting on witnesses in the case. Prosecutor Christopher Conroy cited three recent social-media posts in which Trump tried to discredit two potential witnesses: porn star Stormy Daniels and Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen. “He has attacked witnesses in the case,” Conroy told the judge.

Todd Blanche, a lawyer for Trump, said his client didn’t violate the gag order and was instead defending himself. “He’s responding to salacious, repeated, vehement attacks by these witnesses,” Blanche said.

Merchan hasn’t ruled on the request.

corinne Ramey contributed to this article.

WSJ