The criminal trial of Donald J. Trump, the nation’s 45th president and the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee, started Monday with potential jurors assembling in a drab New York City courtroom as Mr. Trump looked on.
Before jury selection began, the judge, Juan M. Merchan, a veteran New York jurist, rejected another effort to force his recusal by the defense, which cited several issues, including his daughter’s work as a Democratic political consultant.
He also ruled that prosecutors could introduce evidence regarding Mr. Trump’s involvement with coordinating publicity with The National Enquirer to aid his 2016 presidential campaign. Mr. Trump’s lawyers had described the evidence as a “sideshow,” but lost.
But Mr. Trump’s lawyers did persuade Justice Merchan that mentioning sexual assault allegations that arose against Mr. Trump after the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape, in which Mr. Trump was recorded bragging about grabbing women’s genitals, would be prejudicial to the former president. Justice Merchan said the allegations would be off-limits during the trial.
Entering the courtroom Monday, Mr. Trump said he was “very proud to be here,” but he looked less enthusiastic in front of Justice Merchan. He quietly slouched and scowled — and at one point before lunch, he appeared to fall asleep.
By afternoon, prospective jurors finally made their way into the courtroom. Some quickly left: When the judge asked the first group of 96 if any believed they could not be fair and impartial to the former president, more than 50 raised their hands. They were immediately excused.
The remaining jurors were each asked 42 questions. By the end of Monday, 11 jurors had been questioned and two more were excused: a woman who said she could not be fair and a man who said his child’s wedding date could conflict with the trial.
