Trump trial live updates: Opening statements and first witness expected
NBCApr 21
Trump Hush Money Trial Begins
Image copyright: Victor J. Blue/Pool/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
On Monday, the hush money trial of former Pres. Donald Trump, who's the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for this year's election, began in Manhattan with opening statements.
Trump arrived at the courthouse around 9 a.m., addressing a camera and calling the trial a "witch hunt" before he entered the courtroom. The session was expected to last until 2 p.m. because of Passover, but it was cut short at 12:30 p.m. because of a juror’s dentist appointment.
The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
This case is only for public spectacle, and it's good that Trump's defense tore apart every aspect of it Monday. Prosecutors can't single out any crime Trump committed, but Bragg is politically motivated to try to sidetrack the former president's current run for a return to the White House.
Anti-Trump narrative
There was nothing groundbreaking about the opening statements, but prosecutors picked the perfect first witness. If Trump did what he's accused of doing, he was probably desperate enough to get the media involved — and Pecker's publication would've been the perfect outlet to turn to in an effort to keep things under wraps.