The court is now in session.

Opening statements are expected to begin soon.

Victoria Bekiempis

Donald Trump is walking into the courtroom, trailed by a procession of attorneys and paralegals, in advance of opening statements in his hush-money trial.

A coterie of photographers has entered the courtroom to snap photos of the ex-president who, in moments, will be the first commander-in-chief, present or former, to face opening statements in a criminal trial.

While jury selection last week did mark the commencement of Trump’s hush money trial, it gains momentum this morning with expected opening statements.

Victoria Bekiempis

Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial in his hush-money case starts in earnest this morning with opening statements that mark a momentous day in US history.

Trump is the first American president, former or sitting, to face a criminal trial and the proceedings also play out against a 2024 presidential race in which Trump is almost certain to be the Republican nominee to face Joe Biden.

The first week of Trump’s trial was characterized by comedy and, at one point, tragic chaos. Over four days of jury selection, Trump had to listen to his fellow New Yorkers talk about why they could not be fair jurors in his trial.

But on Friday afternoon, right as the six alternate jurors were chosen, a man set himself on fire across from the 100 Centre Street courthouse. The man, who succumbed to his injuries, left behind pamphlets and an online screed in which he outlined numerous conspiracy theories that seemed to have little specifically to do with Trump but were more broadly anti-government and anti-tech industry, among other targets.

Trump arrives at New York courthouse for opening arguments

Chris Michael

Donald Trump has arrived at the Manhattan central courthouse for the opening in earnest of his criminal trial, likely to include opening statements today.

The Guardian’s Victoria Bekiempis and Hugo Lowell are at the courthouse.

Trump leaves for court

Chris Michael

Donald Trump left Trump Tower, waving to assembled press, and is on his way in a motorcade to the Manhattan central courthouse.

Chris Michael

If there’s enough time in the day (court may wrap around 2pm today because of Passover), the trial could see its first witness.

This is expected to be David Pecker, the CEO of American Media Inc (AMI), which publishes the National Enquirer.

Pecker will be asked about his alleged deals with Trump to “catch and kill” negative stories by buying them from people and then not publishing them, in order to save Trump the bad publicity before the 2016 election.

For example, there’s the Trump Tower doorman who said he heard Trump fathered a child with one of his employees (a story that turned out to be false but the National Enquirer bought anyway, to kill it).

And there’s the model Karen McDougal, who said she had a 10-month affair with Trump while his wife, Melania, was pregnant with his son Barron (though the judge has ruled that the prosecution cannot mention that little titbit). AMI paid McDougal $150,000 to stay quiet.

In a twist, AMI actually decided not to pay Stormy Daniels for her story, balking at her $120,000 asking price. That’s why it was left to Trump’s fixer Cohen to make the payments ($130,000 in the end) directly to her attorney. History turns on such things.

Chris Michael

Next up most likely would be opening statements.

The prosecution will probably try to frame the trial not as a sex scandal, but as another case of Trump’s attempts to interfere with elections. After all, that’s what they argue elevates this case to a felony: the prosecution say Trump falsified business records (normally a misdemeanour) in order to violate US campaign finance law (a federal crime).

Politico also reports that people close to the case say the prosecution will be working hard to “rehabilitate the credibility” of Michael Cohen – Trump’s former fixer, who already served time for his role in the hush-money payments, but who has also previously been found guilty of lying in court. Luckily for them, there is a fair amount of evidence to corroborate Cohen’s central claim: that he paid Stormy Daniels at Trump’s behest.

The defense, for their part, will be trying to downplay the events as a sordid but forgivable case of trying to hide an affair, which doesn’t rise to the level of a federal crime. They’ll also likely pile on Cohen’s own shady history in order to throw doubt on his claim that he discussed the deal with Trump in the Oval Office in 2017.

Trump himself may or may not testify. The one thing we know he’ll definitely do, however, is pitch the trial every day in the courthouse corridors to anyone who will listen as a “Biden-inspired witch-hunt” – evidence that he sees two juries: the 12 people in the courthouse and the 160 million-plus American voters, who, let’s remember, could still elect him even if he’s convicted.

What’s happening today?

Chris Michael

Likely to come first is what’s known as a “Sandoval” decision. Here, the judge rules in advance about what prosecutors are allowed to ask Trump if he takes the stand – helping Trump decide whether to do so. (He has said he would, but signs indicate he may not.)

In this case, prosecutors have asked the judge for several things, such as permission to ask Trump about the two civil fraud trials he just lost: one for defaming E Jean Carroll after she accused him of raping her, which a judge ruled was “substantially true”, and the other for fradulently inflating the value of his properties.

They also want to grill him, among other matters, about criticism from a judge in a different case that Trump didn’t seem to be a truthful witness. Colour us shocked.

Chris Michael

So: who are those jurors?

It’s understandable that you’d be interested. So are we. And there is some limited information about them here:

But many media outlets seem determined to dox (or reveal the identity and personal information, like addresses) of the jurors.

This would probably expose them to threats and abuse from Trump’s legions of fans, even without him telling them to.

So curiosity is normal. But given Merchan has unusually decided not to sequester the jury (often standard procedure in such high-profile trials), perhaps it’s best to give these people a little privacy, too.

Hush-money trial to hear opening statements

Chris Michael

Well, after all the appeals and bombast and tears, it’s finally here: opening statements in the first criminal trial of a US president.

Jury selection in the case of the People of the State of New York versus Donald Trump wrapped up last week, though not without some difficulty. Hundreds of prospective jurors were dismissed, several cried and a couple of them quit after they were chosen.

But at last Judge Juan Merchan has landed on 18 people (12 jurors and six alternates) living in Manhattan who say they don’t have strong enough opinions about Donald Trump to bias them against the facts.

And facts there are aplenty. Prosecutors accuse Trump of falsifying business records in order to cover up an attempt to influence the 2016 election. Specifically, they say he tried right before that election – at a time when was already facing serious heat because of the Access Hollywood tape, in which he bragged he could sexually assault women because he was famous – to buy the silence of a porn star, Stormy Daniels, who says she had an affair with him 10 years before.

Prosecutors say Trump feared yet another sex scandal could sink his election prospects, so he paid her to keep silent about the affair, his coercive behavior in the bedroom, and of course his “toadstool”.

It’s going to be edifying. We’re at the courthouse. Stay with us.