A social media post about Donald Trump saying ‘lock him up’ led to one potential juror being struck from the Manhattan case on Tuesday.
Another who reposted an AI video calling the president ‘dumb as f***’ was also mentioned as another man was told to go home.
The pair were among a string of dismissals in the Manhattan hush money trial that ended the second day with a surprising seven jurors.
But the judge allowed a woman who joked about Republicans going to prison despite a challenge from Trump’s lawyers.
Judge Juan Merchan moved quickly through the prospective candidates and managed to get more than half way to filling a panel of 12.
A social media post about Donald Trump saying ‘lock him up’ led to one potential juror being struck from the Manhattan case
But a white, middle-aged man was told he was no longer needed when Trump’s legal team brought up his past online activity.
Merchan read the post to the court that said, in part: ‘Good news!! Trump lost his court battle on his unlawful travel ban!!!’
‘Get him out, and lock him up.’
A male juror who was in seat six was dismissed by Judge Merchan over a video he posted titled ‘Dumb as f***’ about Trump and other posts.
The pair were among a string of dismissals in the Manhattan hush money trial that ended the second day with a surprising seven jurors
Judge Juan Merchan moved quickly through the prospective candidates and managed to get more than half way to filling a panel of 12
One of them was an appeal to raise money to beat him in the 2024 election.
Blanche said that the video was a ‘parody video that mocks President Trump the whole time’.
The juror was called in and questioned and said he thought the video ‘would be funny’.
Judge Merchan said that he wouldn’t have a problem with the post but in conjunction with his (the juror’s demand here I’m having a hard time crediting his response’.
The judge rejected another challenge from Trump to kick off a woman who was in seat 16.
A court sketch shows Trump looking on during the second day of jury selection on Tuesday
Judge Merchan read out copies of the posts, telling the court: ‘I apologize for the attempt at humor’
One photo depicted young men, Trump and the White House.
The caption read: ‘Trump invites Thai boys to White House. Boys request to return to the cave’.
Another photo had the caption: ‘Republicans projected to pick up 70 seats in prison’.
The August 8th 2018 post was a mocked up news report saying Republicans were ‘running for prison’
Judge Merchan said that the posts were ‘satire’ and that they didn’t ‘express a desire to see your client locked up or beheaded’.
‘The question is can they be fair and impartial: your challenge is denied’, the judge told Blanche.
‘This is a person who has expressed the desire…that Mr. Trump be locked up,’ Merchan said, adding that if Trump is found guilty he faces a potential jail sentence.
Judge tears into Trump for ‘intimidating’ jury after warning he could be jailed for disruptive behavior as juror is dismissed for posting ‘lock him up’ on social media
In a tense moment in court, Judge Juan Merchan told Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche to ‘speak to him’ about his behavior.
It came as Trump already risks jail for contempt of court if he violates a gag order banning him from attacking people involved in the case.
Addressing Mr Blanche, the judge said: ‘Your client was audibly uttering something. He was gesturing and muttering in the direction (of the juror).’
Raising his voice the judge went on: ‘I will not tolerate that. I will not have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom. Take a minute and speak to your client about it!’
Former U.S. President Donald Trump sits at the defense table during jury selection in his trial over charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, in Manhattan state court in New York City, U.S. April 16, 2024 in this courtroom sketch.
Judge Juan Merchan tore into Trump in court
Margo Martin (C), former U.S. President Donald Trump’s deputy communications chief, walks into the courtroom during the second day of his criminal trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 16, 2024 in New York City
Trump has already been warned that his rage could see him found in contempt of court for violating a gag order imposed by Judge Merchan.
It bans him from attacking witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and the judge’s family. Prosecutors have already asked for him to be fined.
Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election.
Daniels says she had a sexual encounter with Trump about a decade beforehand.
The Republican candidate for president in the November 5 election has pleaded not guilty and denies an encounter took place.
On day two of jury selection Trump and his lawyers got a potential juror dismissed over a social media post from 2017.
The potential juror had written on Facebook about Trump, who was President at the time.
They wrote: ‘Get him out and lock him up’.
When the potential juror was called into court to explain himself he said ‘I did have strong feelings at the time’ but that he could be impartial today.
Former US President Donald Trump sits while his lawyer Todd Blanche speaks during the second day of jury selection in his hush money criminal trial in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, New York, U.S. April 16, 2024
Former U.S. President Donald Trump sits in the courtroom with attorney Todd Blanche on the second day of his trial in Manhattan Criminal Court, New York City, New York, U.S. April 16, 2024
Judge Merchan said the quote about wanting Trump thrown in jail was a problem.
He said: ‘Everyone knows if Mr Trump is found guilty in this case there’s a potential jail sentence which would be lock up’.
At that Trump, lookingon, shook his head.
Judge Merchan said: ‘I don’t think I can allow this juror to remain.’
Former U.S. President Donald Trump sits with his attorneys as Judge Juan Merchan oversees the proceedings at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York, April 15, 2024 in this courtroom sketch
Stormy Daniels appears at an event, May 23, 2018, in West Hollywood, California
Judge Merchan went on to reject a request to dismiss a female potential juror over Facebook posts by her husband, which led to a bizarre sequence in court.
The judge described a meme of a character from ‘The Simpsons’ holding Trump’s head with a picture of Barack Obama in the frame.
It had a caption reading: ‘I don’t think this is what they meant with orange is the new black’.
The judge read out another post which was a meme with the caption: ‘The Avengers Unite against Donald Trump …and to get Mark Ruffalo naked’.
Judge Merchan said that if this was the worst thing they could find about the juror were posts from her husband that were ‘humor, albeit not very good humour’, from eight years ago, it gave him confidence in the juror.