Sawt Falasteen - Trump's landmark criminal trial set to begin in New York

Trump was driven by motorcade to the gritty Manhattan courthouse from his Trump Tower apartment building shortly before the start of jury selection.

The scandal-plagued 77-year-old is accused of falsifying business records in a scheme to cover up an alleged sexual encounter with adult film actress Stormy Daniels to shield his 2016 election campaign from a last-minute upheaval.

The so-called hush money affair is only one of four criminal cases hanging over Trump, including historic prosecutions against the Republican's alleged attempts to subvert the 2020 election and prevent the winner, Joe Biden, from taking office.

If convicted in the hush money case, Trump would potentially face years in prison, but legal observers consider this unlikely.

Even so, the prospect of Trump becoming a convicted felon throws an unprecedented wild card into an already unpredictable November election, where he wants to defeat Biden and return to power.

The hard-right populist is running on dark vows of "vengeance" and seeking to spin his criminal cases as evidence of persecution.

On Monday his campaign released a video portraying Trump with the trappings of the presidency and warning his supporters that "they want to take away my freedom because I will never let them take away your freedoms."

Attempting to keep up his trademark bravado, Trump said last week that he will take the stand in the trial -- a highly unusual and often risky move for defendants.

"I've been indicted more than Al Capone, the great gangster," Trump said to cheering supporters at a rally Saturday in key swing state Pennsylvania.

"There is absolutely nothing here," he insisted. "There is no misdemeanor, there is no felony, there's no federal crime."

- Lawyer and porn star -

The trial starts with what could be multiple days of jury selection. A pool of ordinary citizens convened by Judge Juan Merchan must answer a questionnaire including checks on whether they have been members of far-right groups.

The actual charges revolve around highly technical finance laws.

Trump is accused of illegally covering up remittances to his longtime attorney and fixer Michael Cohen, who was using the funds to pay Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about the alleged sexual encounter in the final weeks of the 2016 election campaign.

A New York grand jury indicted Trump in March 2023 over the payments made to Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, with the ex-president charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records.

He denies the charges and could use the trial, scheduled for up to two months, as a prominent platform to decry what he alleges is "lawfare" and election interference by his political opponents.

Trump also claims he will not get a fair trial in heavily Democratic New York.

Even if convicted, he would be able to appeal and would not be barred from continuing to run, or even being elected president on November 5.

- Four criminal cases -

Trump's other three criminal cases -- centered on his alleged hoarding of top-secret documents in Florida after he left the White House and his involvement in attempts to overturn the 2020 election -- all face multiple delays.

In the New York case, Trump has repeatedly failed to secure meaningful delays, and Merchan has signaled he will run the trial with a firm hand.

Last week, the judge extended an existing gag order, in place to prevent Trump from attacking those involved in the trial, widening it to cover family members of the judge and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the lead prosecutor.

The expansion of the order came after Trump lashed out at Merchan and his daughter in a series of posts on Truth Social.

U.AlSharif--SF-PST