From the first day of Donald Trump's criminal trial, here's what to remember from the backdrop of the presidential campaign

The Republican nominee, accused of falsifying his company's accounts to cover up an affair in 2016, attacked the judge and Joe Biden, portraying himself as the victim of “an attack against a political adversary.”

The debates have already taken a political turn. A few months before the US presidential election, Donald Trump appeared in an unprecedented trial, which opened on Monday, April 15 in New York. The billionaire has been accused of hiding payments from his real estate group in the middle of the 2016 election campaign, with former porn star Stormi Daniels claiming he had an extramarital affair.

Donald Trump, the first former president of the United States to be criminally indicted by a grand jury, has formally denied the charges and is seeking to present them as the result of a political conspiracy. Francinho looks back on the first day of the trial of the Republican presidential candidate, who faces up to four years in prison in the case.

Donald Trump reiterated his attack on Joe Biden

When Donald Trump attacked Joe Biden in the November presidential election, the investigation had not yet begun. “The country is being led by an incompetent man who is heavily involved in this issue.”, the billionaire said in front of the cameras of several American channels, upon his arrival at the Manhattan court. For the accused, this procedure ““Attack on a Political Enemy” And a “Attack on America”.

These ideas are not new. Donald Trump has already said on several occasions that he is the victim of political manipulation orchestrated by a Democratic president. By repeating these accusations, he confirms that he wants to turn the investigation into a platform for his campaign. “The fact that I'm not in Georgia or Florida or North Carolina is the kind of campaign that I should be campaigning for far-left Democrats.”, assured Republicans on Monday that his presence at the hearing would be mandatory. “This is what they want. This is election interference. That's it.”

He also attacked the judge who heard the case

The first morning of the trial highlighted the defense's desire to target the magistrate in charge of the case. As the debates began, Donald Trump's lawyers asked Juan Mercant to recuse himself, highlighting his daughter's employer's ties to the Democratic Party. A New York judge refused to dismiss the case.

Despite publicizing the practice in the media, Juan Mercant was determined to judge the former US president like any other person. “Hello Mr. Trump”As he entered the room, he announced instead of tradition “Mr President Trump”. The judge also recalled that, like other defendants, Donald Trump must appear at the trial every day, under the penalty sought by the authorities, who could be sent to prison if he obstructs the trial.

Warnings of little consequence. After the hearing was briefly suspended in the afternoon, the magistrate underlined the defense's delay. “Please make sure you respect the time allotted for breaks so we can move on”, he asked Donald Trump's lawyer. At the end of the first day of the trial, the millionaire attacked Juan Merson directly: he declared “The Real Problem” With the magistrate, he believed not “Right to a fair trial”.

The lawyer gave an overview of his strategy

Monday morning's discussions focused on what elements should or should not be used during practice. In this case, Donald Trump has been accused of falsifying the accounting documents of his company, the Trump Organization. The maneuvers were intended to cover up the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels by Michael Cohen, then the billionaire's attorney, under the guise of “legal fees.” In exchange, the actress agreed to remain silent about her alleged sexual relationship with Donald Trump in 2006. The Republican Party has always denied this relationship, and maintains that his defense payments remain in the private sphere. The lawyer believes this is an attempt to influence the 2016 presidential election by withholding information from voters.

The first debates hinted at the prosecution's strategy: to portray Donald Trump as a sexist man and aggressive toward women. Prosecutor Alvin Bragg's team requested that a video be aired during the trial, which was widely aired during the 2016 presidential campaign, where the billionaire can be heard boasting.“catch” Women “by a woman”. Donald Trump apologized in 2005 for making these comments, which were recorded without his knowledge before filming for a television show.

The judge agreed to play a transcription of the video at trial, but without projection of the images. Juan Mercon also declined a lawyer's request to discuss sexual assault allegations against Donald Trump. “Simple Declarative Words”.

Proceed with the case A fine has been sought against the billionaire for “obstructing the smooth course of justice”, reports said. American channel PBS. He believes he violated a court order to publicly comment on the matter on social media. The judges announced that the hearing of the case will be held on April 23.

The lengthy jury selection process began

After the practical questions, an important phase of the investigation was opened: A panel of 12 jurors must unanimously decide whether Donald Trump is “guilty” or “not guilty.” Their selection is a particularly difficult task, which can extend the duration of the procedure. The first panel of 96 potential jurors was examined Monday afternoon. LTwo-thirds were immediately exonerated, with the majority declaring themselves impartial in judging the former president.

Others, including an oncology nurse, a bookseller and a lawyer, had to reveal whole areas of their lives in court: their profession, their family situation, their sources of information or their hobbies. A lengthy questionnaire asks the accused to express their sympathies or prejudices. This crucial phase of the trial, during which both the prosecution and the defense can impanel a limited number of jurors, lasts more than a week.

Joe Biden has not commented on this

Despite Donald Trump's accusations against him, Joe Biden made little comment at the start of his opponent's trial. “I'm sure [le président] Will be notified at some point during the day [de l’avancée des débats]But for now he is concentrating on his program meetings.”White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said when asked about it during a press conference.

The Democrat was directly questioned about this during an interview with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala in the Oval Office. When a reporter asked him if he planned to watch the billionaire's trial, Joe Biden shook his head.