Trump Can't Help but Smile at Potential Juror's Response to Question
The legal battle between former President Donald Trump and the justice system has been intense, with rare moments of levity. One such incident occurred on Tuesday, bringing a brief smile to Trump’s face.
Trump is facing 34 counts of first-degree falsifying business records, prosecuted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg as felonies. The allegations stem from former Trump attorney Michael Cohen's payment of $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, allegedly to keep her from going public with claims of an affair with Trump—an allegation Trump denies.
During the second day of jury selection, a potential juror mentioned that he had read Trump’s books "The Art of the Deal" and "How to Get Rich," as reported by Newsweek. After confirming the title of the second book, the juror asked if he remembered it correctly.
Trump smiled and nodded in response. The incident, unfortunately, was not captured on video due to the courtroom's no-camera policy.
While Monday saw over 50 of 96 potential jurors dismissed for expressing bias, six individuals were selected on Tuesday, according to the New York Post, although their identities remain undisclosed.
Among the selected jurors is a foreman from West Harlem, originally from Ireland; a corporate lawyer from Oregon; a female nurse from Memorial Sloan Kettering; and a female software engineer. Notably, a "young black woman" expressed respect for Trump during selection, noting that he "always speaks his mind."
UPDATE: One potential juror in the Trump trial for questioning after she claimed she had no biased against Donald Trump, even though several social media post proved otherwise.
— 🇺🇸Travis🇺🇸 (@Travis_in_Flint) April 16, 2024
When she entered the courtroom the Judge claimed Trump muttered something under his breath and… pic.twitter.com/NaSZCVEWYf
Another juror, a 40-year-old IT consultant from the Lower East Side, found Trump "fascinating and mysterious," remarking on Trump's ability to evoke strong reactions in people.
One potential juror was dismissed for expressing anti-Trump sentiments on Facebook in 2017 but later retracted those views during questioning by the prosecutor.
During the proceedings, Judge Juan Merchan warned Trump’s attorney about Trump audibly uttering something toward a potential juror, emphasizing that juror intimidation would not be tolerated in the courtroom.