Trump calls hush money case ‘assault on America’ as he arrives at criminal trial
Donald Trump made history today as the first person to hold office as US president to stand trial on criminal charges in Manhattan.
The former president has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records and allegedly hiding hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Mr Trump denies the affair took place and has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Speaking outside the courthouse, the presumptive Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election told reporters: “This is political persecution.
“It’s an assault on America. And that’s why I’m very proud to be here. This is an assault. On our country. And it’s a country that’s failing.
“It’s a country that’s run by an incompetent man who’s very much involved in this case. This is really an attack on a political opponent. That’s all it is. So I’m very honoured to be here.”
The trial was due to begin with jury selection at 10am ET (3pm BST), which is predicted to last between one and two weeks, while the entire trial is predicted to last for six to eight weeks.
Mr Trump stands accused of attempting to interfere with his 2016 presidential election by paying hush money to hide information about his alleged affair with Stormy Daniels. Prosecutors claim this interfered with the presidential election by concealing the incident from the American voters.
Trump loyalist Michael Cohen was allegedly paid $130,000 (£104,000) to Ms Daniels attorney in order to buy her silence.
This story is being updated.
