Trump trial highlights: Seven jurors sworn in as ex-president is scolded for potential jury intimidation

New Yorkers’ busy lives are under the microscope in Trump’s hush money case, as potential jurors have been bringing up their jobs, their political views, their busy schedules and even their dogs during jury selection in the Manhattan courtroom.

On Tuesday morning, the second day of the first-ever criminal trial of a sitting or former US president got under way and, apparently unlike day one, the defendant managed to stay awake.

Kelly Rissman has this on what the prospective jurors had to say for themselves.

A potential juror in Trump’s historic criminal trial made reference to the former president’s infamous 1989 Central Park Five newspaper advertisements, in which he campaigned to bring back the death penalty despite the wrongful conviction of five teenagers.

In 1985, five teenagers – Yusef Salaam, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise – were all arrested and charged with the rape and beating of a white jogger in the New York City park.

Despite the fact they would later be found to be innocent, Trump – then a businessman and media personality – bought a full-page statement in The New York Daily News headlined: “Bring Back the Death Penalty.”

About 6,000 jurors have been sent subpoenas and about 1,500 were called to appear on Monday by the Manhattan Criminal Court for Trump’s hush money trial.

They will be whittled down to just 12 individuals to make up the jury in the case.

Here’s Gustaf Kilander with a look at how the defence is moving to weed out anyone they suspect of bias or animosity towards their client.

Over on the president’s social media platform, always a window into what remains of his soul, he posted a number of clips from right-wing cable news channels rubbishing his trial to accuse his enemies of “LAWFARE!” and “election interference”, including a Newsmax excerpt discussing a supportive X post from Elon Musk.

The closest we got to an orginal message was this, featuring his cynical bodega visit.

After Trump left court on Tuesday, he paid a visit to a Manhattan bodega that found itself at the centre of a high-profile crime.

The former president stopped by the Sanaa Convenient Store, formerly known as the Blue Moon Convenient Store, in Harlem, where clerk Jose Alba stabbed an ex-con to death in self-defence two years ago.

He wasted little time in exploiting it.

Mike Bedigan has the story.

Seven Manhattan residents – including an Irish waiter, an oncology nurse and a man who finds Trump “fascinating” – have now been selected to serve on a jury that could deliver the first criminal trial verdict against the former president.

Sitting with his attorneys in a criminal courtroom on Tuesday, Trump craned his neck to get a good look at the group during the second day of jury selection in his landmark hush money case.

About 100 people were called into the jury pool on Monday. Roughly half of them were dismissed outright, stating that they could not be fair and impartial. A randomly selected group of potential jurors were asked to read through a 42-question survey before prosecutors and attorneys for the former president asked them questions individually.

By Tuesday afternoon, seven jurors had been sworn in to the trial – including the foreperson who will likely read out the former president’s verdict to the court, if one is reached.

With the process now fully in swing, New York Justice Juan Merchan suggested that a full panel could be selected by Monday, with opening arguments to follow in the first ever criminal trial of a current or former US president.

Here’s more from Alex Woodward.

Donald Trump was scolded by Judge Juan Merchan during Tuesday’s session of his New York hush money trial for audibly muttering and gesturing at a potential juror after his lawyer Todd Blanche challenged her possible inclusion.

The former president’s legal team unearthed a Facebook video shared by the woman of New Yorkers celebrating Mr Trump’s 2020 election defeat.

Judge Merchan was satisfied with her explanation regarding the post but told the defendant: “I won’t tolerate that… I will not let any jurors be intimidated in this courtroom.”

Alex Woodward has this wrap from day two of the trial.

About 6,000 jurors have been sent subpoenas and about 1,500 were called to appear on Monday by the Manhattan Criminal Courts for former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial.

They will be whittled down to just 12 individuals to make up the jury in the case.

A trial jury consultant tells Gustaf Kilander: “The profile of attitudes that each side is looking for is very different than it would be in virtually any other kind of criminal trial”.

Melania Trump has reportedly voiced her opposition to her husband’s hush money trial that began Monday.

In recent private conversations, Ms Trump called the trial “a disgrace” and tantamount to election interference, a source close to the Trumps with direct knowledge of her comments told The New York Times.

It comes on day two of Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York City. Ms Trump has not appeared in court with her husband, saying in private discussions it is “his problem” alone.

Read more here from Katie Hawkinson: