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Donald Trump trial live updates: Verdict wait continues as jury deliberates for second day in hush money case

3 months ago 13

By Daniel Bates In Manhattan Criminal Court For Dailymail.com and Rob Crilly, Senior Political Reporter In Manhattan Criminal Court For Dailymail.Com and Sarah Ewall-wice, Senior Political Reporter In Manhattan Criminal Court For Dailymail.Com

Published: 12:40 BST, 30 May 2024 | Updated: 13:55 BST, 30 May 2024

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The jury in Donald Trump’s hush money trial will begin the second day of deliberations on Thursday after failing to reach a quick verdict.

The panel deliberated for four-and-a-half hours on Tuesday and sent two notes to the judge before being sent home.

They asked Judge Juan Merchan for four parts of testimony from Michael Cohen and former National Enquirer David Pecker to be read back.

The former president is stuck inside the court waiting for the verdict.

‘Even Mother Teresa couldn’t beat these charges,’ he said during one of his encounters with reporters.

Follow DailyMail.com’s live coverage of the second day of deliberations from our reporters in the courtroom.

Donald Trump finds himself in unknown territory: He is not in control of anything as he waits for the verdict of 12 ordinary New Yorkers

After Judge Juan Merchan wrapped up his instructions to the jury he had one last order for Donald Trump, his legal team and the prosecutors.

'I do direct all of you to be please here,' he said Wednesday, before heading for his robing room. 'You cannot leave the building.'

It is another humbling moment for the man who was leader of the free world for four years and may yet be again after November's election.

He held up traffic with his motorcade and closed airspace in Air Force One. But for the past five weeks in a New York courtroom, Trump has had to follow rules laid out by a judge and enforced by bailiffs.

Welcome to DailyMail.com's live coverage of the second day of deliberations in Trump's hush money trial: Here's what happened on Wednesday

TOPSHOT - Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump awaits the start of proceedings in his criminal trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on May 29, 2024. Jurors in Trump's hush money trial begin deliberating today on whether to return the first criminal conviction of a former president -- a momentous decision that could upend the November presidential election. (Photo by Doug Mills / POOL / AFP) (Photo by DOUG MILLS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Jury deliberations got underway on Thursday and twelve New York jurors now hold the fate of former U.S. President Donald Trump in their hands.

They deliberated for four-and-a-half hours and sent the judge two notes for testimony to be read back before they were sent home.

Here were the big moments of the day:

  • Jury Instructions: Judge Juan Merchan read through the jury instructions for the jurors in a calm and even tone. The judge told the jury to consider only the evidence and instructed them to set aside bias and opinions about the ex-president. Merchan then read through the law and the 34 charges against Trump. He also explained how deliberations would proceed.
  • Deliberations begin: The twelve jurors were then escorted from the courtroom to begin deliberations. They deliberated for about four and a half hours on the first day of jury deliberations.
  • Trump sets expectations: While the jury began deliberations, Trump spoke to the media where he slammed the whole case as ‘rigged’ and put the ‘conflicted’ judge on blast. He said ‘Mother Teresa could not beat those charges.’
  • Jury sends two notes: As the jury deliberations continued into the afternoon, the jury sent two notes with requests to the judge. The first requested four pieces of testimony. The jury wants to rehear Pecker’s testimony about a phone conversation with Trump while he was in an investor meeting, about a decision regarding the Karen McDougal life rights deal, and about a Trump Tower meeting. They also want Michael Cohen’s testimony on the meeting. The jury also asked to rehear the jury instructions.

What to make of jury deliberations so far

The jury in Trump’s hush money trial is entering day two of deliberations. Yesterday, they deliberated for more than four hours and sent back two notes before being dismissed for the day. But it’s hard to say where the jury’s at based on the length of deliberations so far.

‘It's so hard to make predictions around the deliberation process because we're not in the room,’ says Cheryl Bader, associate professor at Fordham Law. ‘We also don't have a sense of these 12 people and what their dynamic is.’
‘It’s a lot of testimony; it’s an important case. There's a lot to get from sitting without being able to talk to anybody for weeks and weeks,’ she adds. ‘So I would think the first thing they just want is to talk about it and talk to each other.’

Bader was not surprised there wasn’t a verdict on day one of deliberations, but she also would not be surprised if there is a verdict by the end of the week.

Trump's entourage in court on Wednesday

Donald Trump Jr., the former president's attorney Alina Habba and his campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt were among his supporters in court on Wednesday as jury deliberations began.

His loyal aide Natalie Harp, known by some as the 'human printer' for giving him copies of news articles, was also in the courtroom.

 Communications aid Natalie Harp returns from a break to the criminal trial for former U.S. President Donald Trump at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 29, 2024 in New York City. The former president faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Photo by Curtis Means - Pool/Getty Images)

 Donald Trump Jr. and Alina Habba leave Trump Tower on May 29, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/GC Images)

 Donald Trump Jr. and Alina Habba leave Trump Tower on May 29, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/GC Images)

Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt (C) and Trump adviser Jason Miller (L) arrive at the criminal trial of former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's criminal trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on May 29, 2024. Jurors in Trump's hush money trial begin deliberating today on whether to return the first criminal conviction of a former president -- a momentous decision that could upend the November presidential election. (Photo by Doug Mills / POOL / AFP) (Photo by DOUG MILLS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The 12 jurors who will decide Trump's fate: What we know about the panel that will determine if he is guilty or not guilty

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.

DailyMail.com breaks down what we know about who gets to decide Trump's innocence or guilt.

Trump: Mother Teresa could not beat those charges

Donald Trump on Wednesday slammed the case against him as 'rigged' upon leaving the courtroom.

'Mother Teresa could not beat those charges,' Trump said speaking to the media. 'But we'll see.'

The ex-president also went after Judge Merchan.

'The judge is so conflicted that he can't breathe,' he claimed.

Trump blasted Merchan for contributing to President Biden and suggested he's done 'far worse than that, but I'm not allowed to talk about it because of a gag order.'

Trump and Don Jr. brag about 'cranking out a couple of mean tweets' in court

Donald Trump and his eldest son, Don Jr. put out a TikTok on Wednesday night that saw the duo sitting together in a back room at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse concocting their next mean tweet.

Judge Juan Merchan wrapped up his instructions to the jury on Wednesday as they retired to consider their verdict, but he had one last order for the former president, his legal team and the prosecutors.

'I do direct all of you to be please here,' he instructed. You cannot leave the building.'

It means for that for the first time in several weeks, Trump has time on his hands.

Sitting together with his son in one of the courthouse's white-walled meeting rooms, accompanied with a bottle of Diet Coke and several boxes of chocolates, the pair turned the camera on themselves to create a short clip.

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