Donald Trump trial LIVE: Hush money case kicks off with opening statements and bombshell first witness David Pecker

Witness testimony will pause on Tuesday when the judge considers whether Donald Trump should be held in contempt for violating the gag order.

Attorneys for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said the former president should be punished for sharing a New York Post article calling Michael Cohen a 'serial perjurer' and 'embarrassment' to the court system.

Another was Trump resharing a quote from Fox News host Jesse Watters saying the defense team is 'catching undercover liberal activists lying to the judge' to get on the jury.

Here is a recap of the accusations against him.

Friday turned into one of the most dramatic days of Donald Trump's hush money trial.

Tragic and horrifying scenes unfolded outside the court when a man set himself on fire in a park across the street. He later died in hospital.

Inside court proceedings continued with jurors breaking down in tears and lawyers fighting over what evidence should be heard.

One prospective juror admitted to the court that she was an ex-con, and questioned if she was allowed to be considered.

Another said the whole trial was 'more stressful than I thought' and was sent home.

At the end of the day, prosecutors argued that Trump's $355million fraud fine and the E. Jean Carroll sex assault defamation ruling should be heard by the jurors.

Twelve Manhattan residents have been selected to decide the fate of Donald Trump in the hush money trial.

They went through a rigorous process last week to ensure they would be impartial and fair when deciding if the former president is guilty or not guilty.

Now they have had the weekend to think over their selection, will they change their minds and tell the judge they can't move forward with the trial.

One juror dropped out last week after she got concerned that her family and friends already knew she was on the case.

Others have also dropped out because they felt overwhelmed by the anxiety and stress surrounding the trial.

Privacy of the jurors has also been a worry.

An NYU law professor believes that David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, will provide 'dynamite evidence' against Donald Trump when he takes the stand on Monday morning.

It was revealed over the weekend in a New York Times report that Pecker would be the first witness called against the ex-president during his historic trial in Manhattan over allegations he participated in a hush money scheme ahead of the 2016 election.

'Pecker could be key witness - in ways more devastating than Michael Cohen .This also indicates DA is foregrounding unlawful election influence for jurors,' Professor Ron Goodman tweeted.

'Pecker's testimony should be strong proof of core allegation that the hush money scheme was geared toward influencing the outcome of the presidential election,' he added.

Once opening statements have finished, prosecutors are set to call David Pecker as their first witness.

Pecker is a central figure in the case after he alerted Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen about Stormy Daniels and her plan to reveal her claims of an alleged affair with Trump in 2006.

Pecker alerted Trump in October 2016 of Daniel's affair but she ultimately settled a $130,000 non-disclosure deal with Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen.

Pecker is expected to detail how he worked with Trump and his personal lawyer Michael Cohen to broker deals.

Donald Trump's historic hush money trial in Manhattan kicks off on Monday with opening statements and could end with testimony from the first witness.

Prosecutors will lay out whether the 77-year-old hid a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels to cover up their alleged affair in a bid to help him win the 2016 election.

Then Trump's legal team will tell the jury how they will defend the first former president in history to stand criminal trial.

Jury selection finished on Friday with 12 members on the full panel and six alternates.

Here are some details on who they are.