Trump trial live updates: Donald calls Robert De Niro a 'wacko' as jury prepares to deliberate in hush money case

The defendant in the case has responded to the appearance of Hollywood star Robert De Niro outside court yesterday.

In bizarre scenes on Tuesday, De Niro, 80, spoke on behalf of the Biden campaign, calling Trump a 'clown' who wants to 'destroy the world.'

Writing on Truth Social, Trump said:

The prosecution did a good job of shoring up their unreliable witness Michael Cohen with corroborating documents. But there is one glaring hole. Cohen is the only person who testified that Donald Trump himself signed off on the repayment scheme at the heart of the case during a Trump Tower meeting days before his 2017 inauguration as payment.

Yet one other person was apparently present at the meeting: Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization's chief financial officer.

So where is he? That question will almost certainly feature in Judge Juan Merchan's directions to the jury, who will be wondering why he did not appear as a witness.

His whereabouts are easily answered: He is serving five months at Rikers Island jail complex. But his reason for not appearing is more complex.

He was imprisoned for lying under oath to protect his former boss in a civil fraud case. Not the sort of witness that the prosecution wants.

But he also received a $2m severance deal when he left the Trump Organization, which continues to pay his legal bills. And the defense made no effort to bring him as a defense witness, knowing that all of that would have been brought out to undermine any evidence he delivered.

The result is that Weisselberg is the key witness who never testified. And the judge will likely tell jurors not to draw any conclusions at all from his absence.

Twelve Manhattan residents have Donald Trump's fate in their hands as the historic hush money case against the ex-president heads to jury deliberations.

Through six weeks of sometimes salacious and other times grueling witness testimony the jury listened closely as prosecutors laid out their case and Trump's defense team attempted sow doubt.

Seven men and five women - including a corporate lawyer and a woman who called the ex-president 'selfish' - will ultimately determine if Trump is guilty or not guilty of hiding a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about their alleged affair in an effort to influence the 2016 election.

Closing arguments in Donald Trump's hush money trial finally wrapped at 8pm on Wednesday after prosecutor Joshua Steinglass's marathon four-hour pitch to the jury.

The former president's lawyer Todd Blanche started the day by telling the jury they could not convict his client on the words of a 'liar' and 'thief' Michael Cohen.

He was rebuked by the judge for telling the panel their verdict could land Trump in jail.

Steinglass then went through his case in painstaking detail and argued there is ‘overwhelming evidence’ Trump falsified business documents to cover up a $130,000 payment to keep Stormy Daniels quiet about their alleged affair.

The hush money deal, Steinglass said, could ‘very well’ have helped Trump win the 2016 election.

Actor Robert De Niro squared off with Trump supporters outside the former president's hush money trial Tuesday in New York after calling him a 'clown' who wants to 'destroy the world.'

De Niro showed up alongside Capitol Police officers Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone as special guests of President Joe Biden's campaign.

The actor called Trump a 'clown' but also warned that reelecting him would be dangerous.

'I love this city I don't want to destroy it. Donald Trump wants to destroy not only the city but the country and eventually he could destroy the world,' De Niro said.

A group of Trump supporters could be heard in the background chanting, 'f*** Joe Biden,' with one person yelling at the actor, 'your movies suck!'

Donald Trump's fate in the Manhattan hush money trial is now in the hands of the jury after marathon closing arguments on Tuesday.

Following six weeks and 22 witnesses, the panel of 12 Manhattan residents will decide if the 77-year-old will be the first former president found guilty of a crime .

The jury returns on Wednesday to hear instructions from the judge before they will be sent out to decide their verdicts on 34 counts of falsifying business records.

Then the wait will begin for the verdict, which could come as soon as today.