Seven men and five women will decide the verdict in his trial Donald Trumpthe hearing of which begins today with the opening statements of the defense attorneys.
In this historic first criminal prosecution against American president in the history of the country, the “thriller” on jury selection ultimately did not last as long as many analysts had expected.
The 12-member jury he appears to be fairly educated, gets his news mostly from the New York Times, lives in different parts of Manhattan, believes it will be fair, and… votes Democratic.
The case
Jurors are asked to decide whether Trump actually tried — as alleged in the indictment — to withhold damaging information about his sexual relations with porn star Stormy Danielsin order to protect his candidacy in the 2016 elections. The indictment states that the former lawyer of the former president of the USA, Michael Cohen, allegedly paid 130,000 dollars to Stormi Daniels to keep her story under wraps.
Jurors include, among others, an investment banker, a security engineer, a retired wealth manager, two lawyers, two educators and two people involved in finance. According to Politico, the fact that the jurors “are heavily coded as Democratic voters”, no wonder, since in the previous US presidential election 87% of Manhattan voters voted for Joe Biden.
Discharges and claimTrump
It is noted that a few days ago, two of the final jurors were finally relieved of their duties. The first of them told the court that she was concerned about revealing her identity, which could, according to her, affect her decisions in court. A few hours before the final discharge of the second juror, prosecutors had expressed concerns about the reliability of the responses which he gave for himself.
According to a recent AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, about half of respondents think Trump will be unfit to be president if convicted.
The verdict is expected before the US presidential election to be held on November 5, 2024. Indeed, according to a recent poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, approx. the halfin questionI think soy that Trump will eis accother for prleader if convictedei. Things are on a razor’s edge for Trump.
Judge Juan Mercan, who is presiding over the criminal trial, barred reporters from revealing the jurors’ current and former employers, as well as physical characteristics that could reveal their identities. Besides, they are expected to receive strong external pressures while Donald Trump almost every day publicly implying among other things that the trial is riggedthat Judge Juan Merchan has a conflict of interest and that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is corrupt.
The profil of 12 inof oaths
Although the full identities of the jurors will remain anonymous for security reasons, they were asked to provide some personal information about themselves during selection.
Let’s seebeing what do we know about the 12 jurors:
Juror No 1
Juror number 1 is from Ireland and is president of the jury, who is charged with overseeing the meetings. He works at salesin the past he was a waiter, he has University education and is married with no children. It is reported by the New York Times, the Daily Mail and Fox News, among others.
Juror No 2
Juror number 2 works in the field of investment banking and has an MBA in finance. He described himself as a man who “reads basically everything”, while he said that although he does not have strong beliefs, he watches the news and sees anrtendencies of Donald Trump at X (formerly Twitter). He added that he has read some excerpts from the book “The Art of the Deal” written by the former US president.
Juror No 3
Juror number 3 is about thirty years old, works at corporate law and he likes hiking and running. It is updated by the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, among others.
Juror No 4
Juror number 4 is safety engineer with university education and is married with children. He stated that he does not use social media and that he had previously been a juror in a criminal trial, the verdict of which he claimed he did not remember. When asked if he would have reservations about issuing a guilty verdict, he said no. He also said he had no strong feelings for Donald Trump.
He says what he thinks, which I prefer to someone who is in the office and you don’t know what they are thinking.
Juror No 5
Juror number 5 is teacher in school and loves theatre, writing and travelling. Although she said she has friends who have strong opinions about Donald Trump, she commented that she is not into politics and avoids watching the news. He nevertheless commented that appreciates the honesty of the former US presidentbecause “he says what he thinks, which I prefer to someone who’s in the office and you don’t know what they’re thinking.”
Juror No 6
Juror number 6 works as Software Engineer, having graduated from university. She enjoys spending time with her friends and family and going out to restaurants. He told the court that he has no strong feelings about Trump and pledged to be fair and impartial. Like most jurors, she is informed by the New York Times as well as by Google, Facebook and TikTok.
Juror No 7
Juror number 7 is a middle-aged man who works as civil lawyer, but told the court he doesn’t know much about criminal trials. He is married with no children and has never served on a jury. Updated by: New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Washington Post and podcasts. He stated that he has “political views” on Donald Trump’s tenure as US president, commenting that he liked some of his policies and some he didn’t.
Juror number 7 said he liked some of Trump’s policies and some he didn’t.
Juror No 8
Juror number 8 is retired wealth manager, who has an MBA and has two children. He likes to do yoga every morning while reading New York Times, BBC and CNN. When asked if he has strong opinions about Donald Trump, stopped for a phonor, before answering in the affirmative. When the judge asked him if he would be fair and impartial, he again answered in the affirmative.
Juror No 9
Juror number 9 is a speech therapist. He stated that he thinks so can fully follow the judge’s instructions, but also that he does not know criminal procedures well. She told the court she believes she can be fair and impartial.
Juror No 10
Juror number 10 works at e-commerce, not particularly updated for current affairs but reads the New York Times. Loves animals and enjoys listening to podcasts about behavioral psychology.
I don’t agree with some of his policies, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be impartial… I don’t like some of my colleagues, but I’m not trying to sabotage their work.
Juror No 11
Juror number 11 works as product development manager. Although he said he doesn’t follow current affairs, he mentioned that she doesn’t like Donald Trump’s “persona”, how he “presents himself to the public”. As he typically stated in court, “I don’t agree with some of his policies, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be impartial… I don’t like some of my colleagues, but I’m not trying to sabotage their work,” he added, drawing laughter from the audience. She never rallied for or against Donald Trump, and a friend of hers has been convicted of financial fraud.
Juror No 12
Juror number 12 is physical therapist, married and enjoys tennis, running and music. He reads the New York Times, USA Today and CNN, while listening to podcasts about sports and religion.
*With information from BBC, The New York Times, The Guardian, Politico
