The first criminal trial of an American president will debut on Monday for a jury of 12 New Yorkers, as prosecutors and defense lawyers deliver opening statements that provide dueling interpretations of the evidence against Donald J. Trump.
The unprecedented case, which centers on Mr. Trump’s efforts to cover up a sex scandal involving a hush-money payment to a porn star, could reshape America’s political landscape and test the limits of the nation’s justice system.
Opening statements at a trial are like overtures: Both sides present a preview of what the jurors will hear from witnesses and what they will see in documentary evidence. They are tightly scripted performances in which lawyers seek to persuade and charm the jurors who will decide whether they win or lose their case.
Prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office are expected to say that Mr. Trump orchestrated a scheme to suppress stories that could have damaged his 2016 campaign. Mr. Trump’s former fixer, Michael D. Cohen, was involved in suppressing some of those stories, including when he paid $130,000 to a porn star who said she had sex with Mr. Trump a decade earlier.
Prosecutors will explain that Mr. Trump repaid Mr. Cohen for the hush money — reimbursements that are the heart of their case. Mr. Trump, they argue, committed a crime by falsifying records related to the reimbursements. Mr. Cohen is expected to be a key witness for the prosecution.
The defense, in its own opening statement, will try to poke holes in that narrative. Mr. Trump has long denied that he and the porn star, Stormy Daniels, had sex, but his lawyers will most likely focus on Mr. Cohen, calling him a serial liar with an ax to grind against Mr. Trump. They are also expected to argue that Mr. Trump was not personally involved in the falsification of the records at his company. And they may assert that Mr. Trump’s motive for pursuing the hush-money deals was not political, and that he was trying to protect his family from negative publicity.
Here’s what else to know about the trial as it begins in earnest on Monday:
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Which case is this? This is the Manhattan criminal case against Mr. Trump. It was unveiled a year ago by the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg. Mr. Trump was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and if convicted could face up to four years in prison. It is the former president’s first criminal trial — he has been indicted three other times in three other cities. With those other cases tied up in appeals and other delays, the Manhattan case may be the only one he faces before the 2024 presidential election. The trial is expected to last six weeks.
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Mr. Trump is expected to be in the courtroom for much of the trial. In two recent civil trials in New York, including one decided by a jury, Mr. Trump drew negative attention to himself, speaking loudly during proceedings, gesticulating, berating his lawyers and twice storming out of the courtroom. But during jury selection last week, Mr. Trump at least twice appeared to nod off.
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Because of concerns about the privacy and safety of the jurors, the judge restricted the release of identifying information about them. The panel includes seven men and five women from neighborhoods around Manhattan. Six alternates were also selected and will listen to the testimony in case one of the seated jurors drops out.
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The jury was drawn from a pool of residents of Manhattan, where Mr. Trump is deeply unpopular; during jury selection, dozens of prospective jurors were excused because they said they could not be impartial. Several others were dismissed because of critical social media posts about Mr. Trump. But the 18 New Yorkers who were selected each pledged to decide the case based only on the facts. And two of them, during the jury selection process, expressed some positive feelings toward the former president.
