After five grueling weeks of testimony, prosecutors and defense lawyers will have one final chance to sway the 12 jurors in the Manhattan criminal trial of Donald J. Trump: closing arguments.
Also known as summations, closing arguments give each side several hours to highlight the evidence that best proves its case. While similar to the opening statements delivered at a trial’s start, closing arguments tend to be more forceful — and therefore more memorable. They are meant to leave a lasting impression on jurors as they start deliberations.
Prosecutors at the Manhattan district attorney’s office have charged Mr. Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 hush-money payment to the porn star Stormy Daniels, who says she had a sexual encounter with Mr. Trump. They argue this was part of a larger scheme to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.
Mr. Trump has denied the charges and having sex with Ms. Daniels. Because of the rules in New York state courts, his lawyers will deliver their closing argument first.
Mr. Trump’s lawyers will inevitably attack what they perceive to be problems with the prosecutors’ case. They will flag possible gaps or shortcomings in evidence. They will also seek to remind the jurors of credibility issues with the witnesses who have testified, most likely focusing on two key witnesses for the prosecutors: Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, Michael D. Cohen, and Ms. Daniels.
They are likely to argue that prosecutors have not met their burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt — the highest burden of proof in the U.S. legal system — that Mr. Trump committed these crimes, and will ask the jury to acquit him.
It will then be the prosecutors’ turn. With this heavy burden in mind, they will strive to paint a clear picture of the crime, weaving in witness testimony and documents, to persuade the jury that there is only one outcome that the evidence supports: guilty on all 34 counts.
When both sides have finished, the judge, Juan M. Merchan, will instruct the jurors on the law and how to apply it to the evidence, and they will be sent off to deliberate.
