A guilty verdict would not bar him from taking office, but it could hurt his candidacy.
NEW YORK - New York prosecutors on April 22 began telling a jury why Donald Trump‘s alleged cover-up of a hush money payment to a porn star during his 2016 campaign broke the law, as the first-ever criminal trial of a former US president got underway.
Though Trump called for supporters to protest peacefully at courthouses “all over the country,” few were on hand to greet him when he arrived at the downtown courthouse. He suggested tight security measures were responsible for the sparse turnout, but the streets surrounding the courthouse were open to the public.
Reuters/Ipsos polling shows half of independent voters and one in four Republicans say they would not vote for Trump if he is convicted of a crime. American Media, which publishes the National Enquirer, in 2018 admitted as part of a deal to avoid criminal prosecution that it paid US$150,000 to former Playboy magazine model Karen McDougal for rights to her story about a months-long affair with Trump in 2006 and 2007. American Media said it worked “in concert” with Trump’s campaign, and it never published a story.
In the New York trial, Trump is charged with falsely recording his 2017 reimbursement of Cohen for the Daniels payment as a legal expense in his real estate company’s books. Prosecutors say he did so to conceal the fact that Cohen’s payment exceeded the US$2,700 limit on individual campaign contributions at the time.Jury finds Trump sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll, awards her $6.6m
Prosecutors plan to call at least 20 witnesses total, according to Trump’s defence team. The trial could last six to eight weeks.Trump’s legal woes have not hurt his political prospects so far. His approval rating soared among Republicans after the New York charges were announced in April 2023, and polls show him locked in a tight race with Mr Biden.
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