Alert – Trump trial live updates: Jury sent home for the day without reaching a verdict after more than four hours of deliberation

Jury deliberations got underway today and twelve New York jurors now hold the fate of former U.S. President Donald Trump in their hands. 

Here were the big moments of the day:

• Jury Instructions: Judge Juan Merchan read through the jury instructions for the jurors in a calm and even tone. The judge told the jury to consider only the evidence and instructed them to set aside bias and opinions about the ex-president. Merchan then read through the law and the 34 charges against Trump. He also explained how deliberations would proceed.  
• Deliberations begin: The twelve jurors were then escorted from the courtroom to begin deliberations. They deliberated for about four and a half hours on the first day of jury deliberations. 
• Trump sets expectations: While the jury began deliberations, Trump spoke to the media where he slammed the whole case as ‘rigged’ and put the ‘conflicted’ judge on blast. He said ‘Mother Teresa could not beat those charges.’
• Jury sends two notes: As the jury deliberations continued into the afternoon, the jury sent two notes with requests to the judge. The first requested four pieces of testimony. The jury wants to rehear Pecker’s testimony about a phone conversation with Trump while he was in an investor meeting, about a decision regarding the Karen McDougal life rights deal, and about a Trump Tower meeting. They also want Michael Cohen’s testimony on the meeting. The jury also asked to rehear the jury instructions. 

After Judge Juan Merchan wrapped up his instructions to the jury he had one last order for Donald Trump, his legal team and the prosecutors.

‘I do direct all of you to be please here,’ he said Wednesday, before heading for his robing room. ‘You cannot leave the building.’

It is another humbling moment for the man who was leader of the free world for four years and may yet be again after November’s election.

He once held up traffic with his motorcade and closed airspace in Air Force One. But for the past five weeks in a New York courtroom, Trump has had to follow rules laid out by a judge and enforced by bailiffs.

He must be in place before the judge calls the court to order, and must get to his feet when the jury enters and leaves the room.

Now he must spend hours each day waiting in one of the fading courthouse’s meeting rooms for the seven men and five women of the jury to finish their deliberations.

Stormy Daniels said it was the words of her publicist that convinced her to accept a dinner invitation from Donald Trump.

‘Like, what could possibly go wrong?’ she said, triggering titters around the court.

Some 18 years later, a jury must now decide whether or not that set in train a series of events that led a future president to falsify business documents in order to hide a $130,000 hush money payment as part of an effort to win the 2016 election.

Along the way, jurors heard Daniels’ story of having sex with a man more than 30 years her senior, about how a tabloid sleaze-monger offered his help to the 2016 Trump campaign, and how it all ended with Trump signing checks for his trusty fixer in the White House.

But prosecutors did not have it all their own way. The seven men and five women of the jury must also weigh the fact that Michael Cohen, the star witness connecting Trump to the falsified documents, admitted stealing from his former boss.

This is the key testimony:

Donald Trump Jr. and the former president’s attorney Alina Habba left the court after the jury were sent home.

They were part of Trump’s entourage as he sat in court, waiting for the jury to return the verdict.

Trump’s valet Walt Nauta, who has been indicted in the classified documents case in Florida, was also spotted leaving court.

As jury deliberations began, Donald Trump’s supporters held a vigil for the defendant in a park across the street from the courthouse.

One woman, draped in a MAGA flag, cried as she walked between other fans holding placards with the former president’s mugshot.

There was drama among his supporters earlier in the day when they appeared to get in a tussle between themselves.

Donald Trump walked out of court just before 5.30pm on Wednesday to address reporters and again criticized the trial.

‘What is very unfair is that I’m not campaigning, I’m in this room,’ he said.

He complained about witnesses, criticizing prosecutors for not calling certain people, and appeared to reference Allen Weisselberg.

‘And in particular, one witness who’s been suffering,’ he said.

Also said: ‘Nobody knows what the crime is, that’s what the problem’

A lot of key witnesses weren’t called. Take a look at the list. because of the gag order. I won’t go down into individual names, but you have a lot of big players— very big players — that want to solve their problem or actually would have given us a win…if we had a fair judge, this case would have been over a long time ago.”

And it’s a shame and in particular, one witness, who is now suffering greatly because of what’s happened, because of the viciousness of these thugs. The vicious people— what they’ve done to that person.

The other thing, the confusion is, nobody knows what the crime is, because there is no crime. Nobody knows what the crime is. The DA didn’t name the crime. They don’t know what the crime is.

It’s a disgrace. This thing oughta be ended immediately. The judge oughta end it immediately.

Judge Merchan said he would take the other excerpts in dispute with him and consider them later.

Court has adjourned for the day.

Donald Trump’s lawyers and prosecutors are in agreement on the testimony to incude for the first two and fourth jury requests. They’ve gone over the pages in the transcript of the testimony.

However, the lawyers disagree over the request for the Pecker testimony about the Trump Tower meeting.

They’re in dispute over what exactly in the transcript to include of the testimony following the meeting.

‘The issue is this is a question about what happened at the Trump Tower meeting. The disputed portion is what happens when David Pecker relays what happened at that meeting to Dylan Howard,’ prosecutor Joshua Steinglass says.

Judge Merchan says he understands why Blanche would be concerned over most of the portion the prosecutors want to include. But he did highlight one part that he thought should be included.

Donald Trump returns to the courtroom.

He had left the room while lawyers worked to determine what testimony to pull as the jury requested.

As Donald Trump awaits a verdict, his supporters and anti-Trump protesters gathered outside the Manhattan criminal court today.

Some of his backers carried signs with Trump’s mugshot and American flags.

Opponents also held signs as New York police attempted to keep the two groups of protesters separated.

Trump lawyer Alina Habba tells Fox News:

It’s corrupt as can be. Unfortunately, the state of New York has failed its citizens.

This is exactly a Joe Biden show because he has to distract the American people.

You should look at how many logs they have of state officials, Letitia James, Fani Willis, visiting the White House and then tell me this is not a Biden trial.

Look at the way Biden is publicizing, literally publicizing, for tonight to have a speech if a verdict comes out. That’s a sad state of affairs. Meanwhile, our country is falling apart.

Donald Trump walked out of the courtroom and pumped his fist in the air.

He’s waiting in the other room while the lawyers figure out the testimony requested by the jury

Judge Merchan has dismissed the jury for the day.

He says he will see them again tomorrow morning at 9:30am when deliberations will resume.

The jury deliberated for 4.5 hours today and sent two notes to the judge before being dismissed.

Judge Merchan is reading the two notes back to the jury which has returned to the courtroom to make sure he has the requests correctly.

The jury confirms both notes were read correctly.

Merchan says they’re working to find the testimony requested.

He also asks the jury for clarification on what they want to hear in the jury instructions.

As the judge deals with the second jury note, Trump could be seen leaning over and speaking with his lawyers.

He is seated between Todd Blanche and Emil Bove. Both have leaned in to speak with the ex-president.

Judge Juan Merchan arrives just after another note from the jury has been passed to defense and prosecution.

‘We did just receive another note,’ says Merchan, saying that the jury has asked to hear the jury instructions again.

Those are lengthy and so Merchan proposes that he finds out from the jury if there is a specific part of the instructions that they want to hear.

The buzzer rings again. Unclear if this is something to do with the first note … or another issue.

The jury said it wants to hear some of the Pecker testimony, about a call he had with Trump. Pecker was the publisher of the National Enquirer who offered to help the Trump campaign. This is part of the testimony about buying up former Playboy model Karen McDougal’s story:

And he said to me, 'Uh, what do you think?'

So, I said that after — after Dylan Howard interviewed her, she claimed that she had an offer from ABC, Dancing With the Stars, for this — for her story, and she had — and there was an offer from a Mexican group for, from what Mr. Trump told me, was $8 million.

And I said, 'No. I don't believe there was an offer for $8 million. It's my understanding that she doesn't want her story published. And I think that the story should be purchased. And I believe that you should buy it.'

And Mr. Trump said to me, he said, 'Look, everything' — he says, 'I don't buy any stories.' And he said that, 'Any time you do anything like this, it always gets out.'

So I said — so I said, 'I still believe that we should take this story off the market.'

And he said, 'Let me think about it, and I'll have Michael Cohen call you back in a few days.'

This could spell bad news for the defense, as it seems to support the idea that Trump was working with Cohen in his efforts to buy and kill potentially harmful stories. It also suggests that Trump was not usually interested in that strategy, helping the prosecution make the case that he only wanted to do it because of the election.

The jury and alternates will be brought back into the courtroom for the testimony they requested.

The disgraced movie mogul entered the court in a wheelchair, as he has during recent hearings for a retrial on rape charges after his 2020 conviction was tossed out.

This is how this part of the trial goes. Courtroom 1530 was empty save for journalists on the hard wooden benches. Then an old-fashioned buzzer rang (think 1980s telephone) triggering a flurry of excitement that quickly subsided almost as quickly as it arrived.

First a bailiff disappeared through one the hidden doors tucked in the wood-paneled walls. Then another officer skuttled off to alert the defense team.

Within minutes, the prosecutors trooped in, led by one of their most junior members, the bespectacled IT operator who mans a computer in the corner of the court. As they took their seats, Trump arrived, followed by his lawyers and some of his top campaign aides, including spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, who is heavily pregnant.

Finally the judge arrived. He read the note into evidence, and was gone almost as soon as he had arrived, issuing some guidance on page numbers.

Now we await the return of the jury to hear the relevant testimony.

This could be the first note of many. It could indicate the jury is going to go through the testimony with a fine-toothed comb for days. It could indicate that they are close to a verdict. Who knows?

The jury sent a note with four requests.

Judge Merchan read the note aloud, and the jury is being brought back in.

They have requested the following:

1. David Pecker’s testimony regarding phone conversation with Donald Trump while Pecker was in the investor meeting
2. Pecker testimony regarding decision to not finalize and fund the Karen McDougal life rights deal
3. Pecker testimony regarding Trump Tower meeting
4. Michael Cohen testimony regarding the Trump Tower meeting

Donald Trump is back in court. He arrived with his defense team and supporters about two minutes after the prosecution filed in.

Now we just need the judge and we can hear what the question is and how the court plans to deal with it.

A buzzer sounded in the courtroom.

Reporters are waiting for lawyers and the judge to come in.

It looks like it could be a note as the clerk is reading a piece of paper.

As he awaits a verdict in his New York hush money trial, Donald Trump fired off a Truth Social post praising Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for not recusing himself in the January 6 related cases.

Some ethics experts have questioned whether the conservative justice can remain impartial after an upside flag was flown outside his home following the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

The upside-down flag has become a symbol of the ‘Stop the Steal’ movement which claims the 2020 election was stolen. Alito blamed his wife for the flag, but another flag carried by rioters was spotted outside his vacation home as well.

‘Congratulations to United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for showing the INTELLIGENCE, COURAGE, and “GUTS” to refuse stepping aside from making a decision on anything January 6th related.’ Trump wrote.

‘All U.S. Judges, Justices, and Leaders should have such GRIT,’ he went on.

Trump is also waiting a decision from the Supreme Court on presidential immunity which could impact Special Counsel Jack Smith’s election interference case against him.

Judge Merchan is being criticized for his confusing ‘smorgasbord’ instruction on how the jury can come to a Trump conviction.

The jury will have to unanimously agree to find Trump guilty on any of the 34 counts of falsifying documents.

But there is a complication in that Trump is charged with falsifying documents in furtherance of another potential crime. Merchan said that the 12 jurors do not have to be unified the second aspect.

He said the jury could split into three groups of four and he’d consider it unanimous.

Their choices: violation of federal campaign law, falsification of business records and tax fraud.

Attorney Andy McCarthy called it ‘outrageous’ on Fox News.

‘So they’re going to give the jury a menu of choices and tell the jury that some of them may believe that this was a criminal objective, some of them may believe something else was, but that they don’t have to be unanimous on that,’ he said.

‘I actually think that’s pretty outrageous. But in this case, I’m not sure it makes the top ten of outrageous.’

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., wrote on X that the ‘trial’ is a ‘mockery of the justice system.’

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that a verdict in the NY. v. Trump trial would be an ‘important day’ and that President Biden would have more to say on the matter at a later time.

‘I have to be pretty honest with you. I have not talked to the president about that,’ she said initially when asked about the case by a journalist during a briefing.

This is going to be an important day. Obviously, the campaign is going to have more to share. The president and I said this yesterday a couple of times when I was asked this question in various ways that the president is focused on the American people delivering for the American people.

Trump ripped into the judge and prosecutor leading the hush money trial during the court’s lunch break.

‘IT IS RIDICULOUS, UNCONSTITUTIONAL, AND UNAMERICAN that the highly Conflicted, Radical Left Judge is not requiring a unanimous decision on the fake charges against me brought by Soros backed D.A. Alvin Bragg.’

He referred to the directive by Judge Merchan to the jury that while a guilty verdict must be unanimous, they don’t have to all agree on which crime the ex-president committed.

‘You need not be unanimous as to what those unlawful means were…you may consider – violations of FECA, falsification of other business records, violation of tax laws,’ said Merchan.

However, Trump called it a ‘third world election interference hoax.’

After leaving the courtroom, Donald Trump delivered his usual range of incendiary comments about proceedings. But how true were his words?

It was all done by Joe Biden. This judge contributed to Joe Biden and far worse than that, but I’m not allowed to talk about it because I have a gag order

The case was brought by the Manhattan district attorney rather than any branch of the Biden administration. There is no evidence that Biden was instrumental in any of the charges. And Trump can say what he likes about the judge – the gag order does not cover Judge Juan Merchan.

We had the leading election expert in the country, Brad Smith, ready to testify … wouldn’t let him do.

Trump again claimed that the defense was not allowed to call Brad Smith as a witness. In fact, the defense was allowed to call him but Judge Juan Merchan said he could not interpret the law for the jury (that is the judge’s role). The defense decided not to call him.

Mother Teresa could not beat those charges.

Mother Teresa was never accused of paying off a porn star and falsifying documents to hide the money.

The court is taking a lunch break between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. ET.

However, it does not mean the jury is halting deliberations. They could still be working through the hour behind closed doors.

There will be no notes read during the hour, meaning even if the jury comes to a decision, the court won’t be called back until 2 p.m.

J.D. Vance, the Republican senator from Ohio, has sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland calling for him to investigate the trial judge Juan Merchan.

Vance says:

Judge Juan Merchan’s unconstitutional gag order violates President Trump’s First Amendment rights and is clearly illegal.

This morning, I sent a letter to the Attorney General requesting that he investigate Merchan’s actions and consider prosecution for any criminal wrongdoing.

Vance is in the mix to be Trump’s 2024 running mate.

Trump’s team believe there could be at least one sympathetic juror as they hope for a hung jury.

The Bulwark reported that there is a juror who has occasionally made eye contact with supporters of Trump in the court, and sometimes nodded when defense lawyers speak.

The juror was described as having ‘lit up’ when Republican senator J.D. Vance entered the courtroom.

‘There are eight people on that jury who definitely hate Trump,’ one person in court told The Bulwark. ‘If there’s one person who doesn’t, it’s (this) juror.’

However, there was no way of telling what the juror really thinks.

Trump’s son Don Jr. posted for the first time on TikTok as he awaits the jury to come to a decision in the hush money case.

‘If you think for one second that this ends with Donald Trump you have not been watching what’s been going on in the Democrat Party in the last few years. They want power at any and all cost your rights be damned that cant happen.’

President Biden signed a bill earlier this month that gave TikTok nine months to divest from Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance or else face a U.S. ban.

Former President Donald Trump, who tried to ban TikTok in 2020, came out against the law, arguing it would make Facebook more powerful.

Interestingly, Don Jr. himself gave a chilling warning about the platform in 2020 saying it could be ‘weaponzied’ against kids.

‘Having access to all your photos and contacts and emails and the spyware that’s there. I mean this is something that could haunt your kids forever.’

Stormy Daniels said it was the words of her publicist that convinced her to accept a dinner invitation from Donald Trump.

‘Like, what could possibly go wrong?’ she said, triggering titters around the court.

Some 18 years later, a jury must now decide whether or not that set in train a series of events that led a future president to falsify business documents in order to hide a $130,000 hush money payment as part of an effort to win the 2016 election. Along the way, jurors heard Daniels’ story of having sex with a man more than 30 years her senior, about how a tabloid sleaze-monger offered his help to the 2016 Trump campaign, and how it all ended with Trump signing checks for his trusty fixer in the White House.

But prosecutors did not have it all their own way. The seven men and five women of the jury must also weigh the fact that Michael Cohen, the star witness connecting Trump to the falsified documents, admitted stealing from his former boss.

This is the key testimony:

Donald Trump slammed the case against him as ‘rigged’ upon leaving the courtroom.

‘Mother Teresa could not beat those charges,’ Trump said speaking to the media. ‘But we’ll see.’

The ex-president also went after Judge Merchan.

‘The judge is so conflicted that he can’t breathe,’ he claimed.

Trump blasted Merchan for contributing to President Biden and suggested he’s done ‘far worse than that, but I’m not allowed to talk about it because of a gag order.’

The gag order prevents Trump from talking about the witnesses or court officers in the case, but he has been free to go after the judge, which he has on numerous occasions.

‘It’ll be talked about, but I’m not allowed to talk about it,’ he claimed.

Trump also went after actor Robert De Niro who appeared outside the courthouse yesterday for the Biden campaign.

Trump called De Niro a ‘broken down fool’ who ‘got MAGAed.’

Outside of court, Artist Scott LoBaido unveiled a portrait of Trump standing over Robert DeNiro in a boxing ring.

It comes after the actor appeared Tuesday outside of the ex-president’s hush money trial as a representative for the Biden campaign.

De Niro – who appeared alongside Capitol Police officers Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone – called Trump a ‘clown’ and got into a shouting match with MAGA supporters outside the Manhattan courthouse.

Trump gave De Niro’s performance a review after midnight Wednesday on Truth Social.

‘I never knew how small, both mentally and physically, Wacko Former Actor Robert De Niro was,’ the ex-president said about the 5-foot-10 star.

The twelve jurors in the Trump hush money case have now begun their deliberations.

Judge Juan Merchan reminded the jurors during his instructions that they must reach a unanimous decision for each count.

Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

Here are the possible outcomes:

Not Guilty: The jury finds Trump not guilty on the 34 felony charges against him.

Guilty: The finds the ex-president guilty on any one of the 34 charges against him, a combination of charges against him or all the charges against him.

Hung Jury: If the jury is unable to reach an unanimous verdict in the case, it will result in a hung jury and a mistrial.

If the jury has questions as it deliberates, jurors have been instructed to send a note to Judge Merchan.

From Rob Crilly, Senior U.S. Political Reporter in courtroom 1530:

The jury has gone and there is no evidence to present. The judge whispers quietly to a court officer.

Courtroom 1530 has crackled with electricity for weeks but now is oddly still. Just the tip-tapping of journalists’ keyboards gives a sense of the importance of this moment, as a former president waits to find out whether a jury will find him guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The first president in history to be tried in a criminal court.

Two jurors return briefly to be shown how to use a laptop filled with case evidence and leave smiling with the computer.

Trump watches it all from his usual position, sitting back in his leather chair, head tilted to one side.

Judge Juan Merchan announces that he is headed for his robing room, but tells the two sides not to leave the building in case the jury has questions. A minute or two later Trump and his team stride out headed to their private room.

And now we wait.

Judge clarifies all evidence will be available on a laptop.

He asks for volunteers from the jury to be shown how to operate it.

Jurors four and six will be shown how to operate the laptop.

‘All rise,’ says the bailiff and the 12 jurors step out briskly, some clutching notes to their chests, to begin their deliberations. They all look ahead, not glancing as they walk past Trump, who stands as they exit.

They were sent out at 11:27am.

The judge thanks the alternates for their diligence, and asks them to hang around in case they are needed.

He then says jurors four and six have volunteered to be shown how to use a laptop that contains all the evidence.

Now we wait.

During jury instructions, Donald Trump appeared to slump to the side at one point, his eyes closed.

He then snapped back upright a few seconds later.

Several other times he leaned back in his chair, his eyes appearing to be closed.

That concludes my instructions on the law, counsel please approach

And with that Judge Juan Merchan concludes his instructions at 11:23 am, after speaking for an hour and 13 minutes. A brief conference with defense and prosecution follows as the jury wait to be sent out.

Judge Merchan is explaining how jury deliberations will work.

He also explains the role of the foreperson.

When the jury reaches a verdict – guilty or not guilty – the full jury will be asked to come to court.

First, the foreperson will be asked if they’ve reached a verdict, then the whole jury will be asked, and then individual jurors will be asked.

If they have a question or request they must write a note which will be given to the judge.

He says they will work until the court adjourns.

‘During the deliberations you must discuss the case only among yourselves,’ says Judge Merchan. ‘You must not discuss the case with anyone else, including court officers.’

He is listing the rules facing jurors. They must remain in the room while deliberations are under way. Lunch will be provided. And today they will work till 4:30pm. That may change on other days but it is unlikely they will have to work past 6pm.

The judge is reminding the jury that the defense has to prove nothing. Nor should jurors read anything into the fact that Trump did not testuify. The onus is on the prosecution to prove that Trump is guilty.

‘The defendant is not required to prove that he is not guilty. In fact, the defendant is not required to prove or disprove anything,’ says Merchan.

‘If people satisfy their burden of proof you must find the defendant guilty.’

Judge Merchan is now explaining the difference between motive and intent.

He notes that intent is an element of the crime, but motive is not.

Trump’s trusted aide Natalie Harp was spotted holding papers as she entered court today.

Harp, 32, an ultra-loyal aide who is now a fixture in Trump’s entourage.

In MAGA world they call her ‘The Human Printer’ and few have more access to the potential next President of the United States.

The platinum blonde carries in her duffle bag a portable printer, batteries and plenty of paper to feed Trump’s insatiable desire for news.

His fiercest critics including Michael Cohen have shared their dreams of seeing Donald Trump behind bars.

But a far more realistic outcome if he is convicted in New York is he ends up having weekly phone calls to check in with a probation officer or has to visit Bronx school kids to teach them about crime, legal experts say.

The defendant who complains he is a victim of ‘sham’ prosecution in a ‘rat’s nest’ of corruption may even get to design his own community service program.

After going through all 34 counts against Trump, Judge Juan Merchan is reading what is in the law in order to find a defendant guilty of falsifying a business record in the first degree.

Judge Juan Merchan is now reading through the charges against Donald Trump and the definitions.

Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

Merchan used the first count to explain what the jury must find before reading through the other 33 counts and invoices, vouchers and checks they pertain to.

Trump lawyer Alina Habba ripped Judge Juan Merchan for sustaining objections brought by the prosecution during the trial. She told Fox news Tuesday night the judge flashed ‘anger’ in the courtroom.

She also predicted a hung jury in the case.

Judge Juan Merchan’s soothing words are halted briefly by the sound of a phone playing a video. It echoes through the silent courtroom. Merchan is deeply unimpressed, glaring at Trump’s defense table.

In fact the sound came from just behind the table, from among the two rows of Trump’s aides. Right then his lawyer Alina Habba was posting a video of herself on Fox News to X.

Judge Juan Merchan has urged the jurors to ‘set aside’ any bias or opinions in favor of or against defendant Donald Trump.

He has also instructed them to consider only the evidence.

Merchan reminds the jurors that the defendant is presumed to be innocent.

‘You must find the defendant not guilty unless you conclude the people have proved him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt,’ Merchan says.

He also tells the jurors the fact that Trump did not testify is ‘not a fact that any inference may be drawn.’

Merchan reminds them that a defendant is not required to prove he is not guilty.

Judge Juan Merchan began delivering jury instructions at 10:10. ‘Members, of the jury, I will now instruct you on the law,’ he says. The instructions are likely to take about an hour, as he spells out relevant aspects of the law the jurors will need to reach a verdict.

He is an experienced judge and has run a tight case, despite the provocations of Trump, his allies and even one of the defense witnesses (Robert Costello, who was warned his expressions of exasperation put him in danger of being found in contempt to court.)

This is his key moment, making sure the jury knows exactly what is expected of it. He is delivering his speech in a level, even tone. It is soothing and gentle, even as he spells out the limits of what the jury can and can’t do.

The jury is dialed in, even after the late night on Tuesday. Some of the jurors look more smartly dressed, swapping out yesterday’s sweater for a well-pressed shirt in more than one case.

Trump is sitting back in his seat as the instructions are dlivered. He faces dead ahead with his eyes half closed, just as he has for much of the trial.

Judge Merchan greets the jury ‘good morning jurors.’

He is now instructing them on the law.

Merchan will finish instructions by outlining how jury deliberations will work.

He says the process will take about an hour.

Donald Trump’s Truth Social account is firing off a series of posts as jury deliberations are set to begin today.

There could be a lot of activity for him on social media as he is expected to remain inside until a verdict comes in.

In one post he wrote in all caps ‘DEFENSE OF COUNSEL DEFENSE!’

Another reads ‘THE D.A.’s OFFICE WAS ALLOWED TO GO ON WITH 5 HOURS OF BULL…. YESTERDAY. I have no rights against this Crooked Judge’s Gag Order!’

He also posted ‘NDA’s ARE TOTALLY LEGAL AND ACCEPTED!’

Several other posts quote legal experts and personalities on Fox News about the hush money case.

Judge Juan Merchan has begun today just as he has every day, by saying good morning to the defendant Donald Trump.

Trump, just as he has every day, has not responded, setting the tone for the way he has treated proceedings – with a mix of indifference and disdain.

After family and friends day for closing arguments on Tuesday, Donald Trump arrived in courtroom 1530 without much of an entourage. Don Jr has taken a seat in the front row, but the rest of the seats are taken up by the familiar faces of his aides – lawyer Alina Habba, adviser Boris Epshteyn and spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. Trump’s friend, the investor Steve Witkoff, seems to be the only extra person with him.

Trump himself did not stop and talk in front of the cameras in the hallway. Perhaps a hangover from last night’s late finish?

The defense was warned last night that none of the retinue will be allowed in or out as the judge delivers his jury instructions.

Harvey Weinstein is expected to appear before a judge this afternoon in the same New York City courthouse where former President Donald Trump is on trial.

Weinstein is awaiting a retrial on rape charges after his 2020 conviction was tossed out.

Wednesday’s court hearing will address various legal issues related to the upcoming trial, which is tentatively scheduled for some time after Labor Day.

Weinstein’s original trial was held in the same courtroom where Trump is on trial now, but the two men are unlikely to bump into each other.

Weinstein is in custody and will be brought to and from the courtroom under guard.

He will be appearing in a courtroom on a different floor than where Trump is currently on trial.

Former President Donald Trump has departed Trump Tower on his way downtown to the Manhattan criminal court.

Trump did not wave or look toward the cameras as he made his way to his motorcade.

Donald Trump raged about the ‘kangaroo court’ and the ‘corrupt and conflicted judge’ just before he left Trump Tower.

He posted on Truth Social:

KANGAROO COURT! A CORRUPT AND CONFLICTED JUDGE. RELIANCE ON COUNSEL (ADVISE OF COUNSEL) NOT ALLOWED BY MERCHAN, A FIRST. HIS RULINGS, ON A CASE THAT SHOULD, ACCORDING TO ALL LEGAL SCHOLARS AND EXPERTS, NEVER HAVE BEEN BROUGHT, HAVE MADE THIS A BIDEN PUSHED WITCH HUNT. THERE WAS NO CRIME, EXCEPT FOR THE BUM THAT GOT CAUGHT STEALING FROM ME! IN GOD WE TRUST!’

Donald Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba was spotted outside Trump Tower with Don Jr. ahead of the ex-president’s departure for the Manhattan criminal court.

She has appeared in the courtroom throughout the hush money trial.

GOP Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who is in the running to be Trump’s VP, has filed a misconduct complaint against the judge overseeing the hush-money trial.

Stefanik has called for an investigation into Justice Juan Merchan, who is presiding over Trump’s trial in New York state court, to ‘determine whether the required random selection process was in fact followed’.

She has alleged that Merchan, whom she claims is a Democrat Party donor, has repeatedly been assigned to criminal cases linked to Trump and his allies.

The prosecution did a good job of shoring up their unreliable witness Michael Cohen with corroborating documents. But there is one glaring hole. Cohen is the only person who testified that Donald Trump himself signed off on the repayment scheme at the heart of the case during a Trump Tower meeting days before his 2017 inauguration as payment.

Yet one other person was apparently present at the meeting: Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization’s chief financial officer.

So where is he? That question will almost certainly feature in Judge Juan Merchan’s directions to the jury, who will be wondering why he did not appear as a witness.

His whereabouts are easily answered: He is serving five months at Rikers Island jail complex. But his reason for not appearing is more complex.

He was imprisoned for lying under oath to protect his former boss in a civil fraud case. Not the sort of witness that the prosecution wants.

But he also received a $2m severance deal when he left the Trump Organization, which continues to pay his legal bills. And the defense made no effort to bring him as a defense witness, knowing that all of that would have been brought out to undermine any evidence he delivered.

The result is that Weisselberg is the key witness who never testified. And the judge will likely tell jurors not to draw any conclusions at all from his absence.

Twelve Manhattan residents have Donald Trump’s fate in their hands as the historic hush money case against the ex-president heads to jury deliberations.

Through six weeks of sometimes salacious and other times grueling witness testimony the jury listened closely as prosecutors laid out their case and Trump’s defense team attempted sow doubt.

Seven men and five women – including a corporate lawyer and a woman who called the ex-president ‘selfish’ – will ultimately determine if Trump is guilty or not guilty of hiding a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about their alleged affair in an effort to influence the 2016 election.

The defendant in the case has responded to the appearance of Hollywood star Robert De Niro outside court yesterday.

In bizarre scenes on Tuesday, De Niro, 80, spoke on behalf of the Biden campaign, calling Trump a ‘clown’ who wants to ‘destroy the world.’

Writing on Truth Social, Trump said:

I never knew how small, both mentally and physically, Wacko Former Actor Robert De Niro was. Today, De Niro, who suffers from an incurable case of TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, commonly known in the medical community as TDS, was met, outside the Courthouse, with a force far greater than the Radical Left – MAGA.

Robert, whose movies, artistry, and brand have gone WAY DOWN IN VALUE since he entered the political arena at the request of Crooked Joe Biden, looked so pathetic and sad out there. Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio!!!

Closing arguments in Donald Trump’s hush money trial finally wrapped at 8pm on Wednesday after prosecutor Joshua Steinglass’s marathon four-hour pitch to the jury.

The former president’s lawyer Todd Blanche started the day by telling the jury they could not convict his client on the words of a ‘liar’ and ‘thief’ Michael Cohen.

He was rebuked by the judge for telling the panel their verdict could land Trump in jail.

Steinglass then went through his case in painstaking detail and argued there is ‘overwhelming evidence’ Trump falsified business documents to cover up a $130,000 payment to keep Stormy Daniels quiet about their alleged affair.

The hush money deal, Steinglass said, could ‘very well’ have helped Trump win the 2016 election.

Actor Robert De Niro squared off with Trump supporters outside the former president’s hush money trial Tuesday in New York after calling him a ‘clown’ who wants to ‘destroy the world.’

De Niro showed up alongside Capitol Police officers Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone as special guests of President Joe Biden’s campaign.

The actor called Trump a ‘clown’ but also warned that reelecting him would be dangerous.

‘I love this city I don’t want to destroy it. Donald Trump wants to destroy not only the city but the country and eventually he could destroy the world,’ De Niro said.

A group of Trump supporters could be heard in the background chanting, ‘f*** Joe Biden,’ with one person yelling at the actor, ‘your movies suck!’

Donald Trump said nothing in the courtroom as his lead defense attorney delivered his closing argument that the former president should be found not guilty of falsifying business records.

He didn’t need to.

Todd Blanche’s two-and-half-hour statement was shot through with the words and fingerprints of the defendant himself, making it part legal argument, part campaign address.

There was a belittling nickname for a key witness—’Michael Cohen is the GLOAT. The Greatest Liar of All Time’—frequent references to prosecutors as the ‘government’ (when in New York State court it is ‘the people’ who bring prosecutions) and a final incendiary reference to his client facing prison.

‘You cannot send someone to prison … you cannot convict somebody based upon the words of Michael Cohen,’ said Blanche, raising an immediate objection from the prosecution.

Donald Trump’s fate in the Manhattan hush money trial is now in the hands of the jury after marathon closing arguments on Tuesday.

Following six weeks and 22 witnesses, the panel of 12 Manhattan residents will decide if the 77-year-old will be the first former president found guilty of a crime .

The jury returns on Wednesday to hear instructions from the judge before they will be sent out to decide their verdicts on 34 counts of falsifying business records.

Then the wait will begin for the verdict, which could come as soon as today.