Jury selection in former president Donald Trump’s criminal hush money case began this week, and it seemed like the career businessman was set to face a rough crowd. This sentiment came after more than 50 of 96 prospective jurors raised their hands when Judge Juan Merchan asked the group whether anyone thought they were incapable of being fair and impartial.
Of course, all of those who raised their hands were excused from serving, however, it’s important to remember that New York is Trump’s hometown. Still, it seemed as though his fellow citizens believe he is so polarizing they wanted out of the case.
The process of jury selection has been a surreal spectacle so far this week, especially for a former president who might be elected again this year. As part of the process, Trump was made to listen as ordinary New Yorkers voiced their opinions on him and the state of the country, of which responses have been extensively assorted.
On Tuesday, one prospective panelist appeared to make Trump’s day with his response to question 36 on the questionnaire; “The defendant in this case has written a number of books. Have you read (or listened to audio) of any one or more of these books? If so, which ones?”. The prospective panelist said yes.
“I read The Art of the Deal, and I want to say How to be Rich and Think Like a Champion,” he hesitated, uncertain about the title of the book. To clarify, he asked, “Is that right?” Trump affirmed with a head nod and smile.
The defense and prosecution both took turns asking the could-be jurors their own questions once the first group of prospects was narrowed.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass kept the mood light, saying, “Resist the urge to flee the courtroom.” He told the potential jurors, “This case has nothing to do with your personal politics. It’s not a referendum on the Trump presidency or a popularity contest or indication of who you’re going to vote for in November. We don’t care.”
Steinglass added, “This case is about whether this man broke the law.” The prosecutor then asked if any of the jurors would have an issue with their theory of accessory reliability. To explain, Steinglass stated, that is, “if two or more people are acting together, they can each be held criminally liable… Would anyone have a problem holding the defendant responsible for something his partner did?”
To give an example, Steinglass said “Say a husband hires a hitman to kill his wife…” The example expressed the opinion that even though the husband in this scenario might not be present during the murder, would the prospective jurors have an issue with finding him criminally responsible?
On the other side, Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche had his own line of questioning, which was mostly in line with determining the juror’s opinions of Donald Trump. Some jurors were reluctant to voice an opinion while others were comfortable making their thoughts known.
One prospective juror said, “I find him fascinating. He walks into a room and he sets people off, one way or another, and I find that really interesting period really, this one guy could do all this?”
Blanche questioned one juror who stated, “If we were sitting at a bar, I’d be happy to tell you, but in this room what I feel about President Trump is not important or inherent to either the case you’re presenting or you’re defending.” Further questioning led the prospective juror to add, “Look: I’ll say I’m a Democrat, so there you go, that’s where it goes with me,” and continued, “I walk in here and he’s a defendant.”
Trump smiled when one woman praised his boldness saying, “He speaks his mind. Come on: what else can you say about that?” She continued, “He says what he wants to say. I want to say some things but my mother said, ‘Be nice.’”
According to Merchan, Trump made a gesture toward one of the jurors, and “It was audible. He was gesturing and he was speaking in the direction of the juror.” Merchan made it clear that Trump was not to intimidate jurors in the court.
“I will not have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom… Take a minute to speak to your client,” The prosecutor warned.
Regardless of these hiccups, things seem to be moving along efficiently after a total of seven jurors were selected on Tuesday.
