Trump jurors reveal what they think of the ex-president as the court desperately tries to find 12 ‘impartial’ candidates

The Manhattan district attorney insisted that the criminal trial of Donald Trump was not a “popularity contest” and urged potential jurors to put aside personal politics as he first addressed them.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told 18 candidates who answered 42 questions enough to get on the jury that “everyone and their mother” has an opinion on the hush money case.

As the brutal selection process dragged on into the second day, potential jurors revealed what they thought of the president.

One praised Trump for being able to ‘express his opinion’, while another admitted she was a fan of the Apprentice in high school.

They all tried to show that they could be “impartial” and give the former president a fair trial.

Steinglass spoke to the potential jurors who were not sent home after Trump arrived at the court and attacked the judge after being warned that he would face jail time if he disrupted the proceedings.

He asked them if they were willing to “look the defendant (Trump) in the eye and say he was guilty.”

The ex-president is on thin ice with his outbursts and social media posts after a judge scheduled a contempt hearing for him later this month.

Trump glared at each member of the jury as they were peppered with questions from prosecutors.

He has denied guilty of falsifying company records about a $160,000 payment to cover up an alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.

At least eight jurors were sent home Tuesday morning, including Kara McGee who was excused because it conflicted with work.

She admitted she didn’t like Trump, but he still deserved a fair trial.

By lunchtime on Tuesday there were 18 left answering questions from an ‘exhaustive’ list.

When Trump’s lead attorney Todd Blanche was questioned, a man from Puerto Rico said of Trump, “I find him fascinating.”

‘He walks into a room and puts people on edge, which I find very interesting.

‘One man can do all this. Wow. He makes things interesting.

“So many people are being ripped off in one way or another. That is interesting.’

An older white-haired woman wearing tiny black glasses became animated and spoke without a microphone when it came to the question of whether or not Trump is testifying.

“If he decides not to say anything… that’s your right. You can’t assume that makes him guilty,” she said, waving her hand for emphasis.

“It’s really true that the prosecutor is the one who has to present and prove the facts, but like I said, he has the right not to say them.”

At the end of her somewhat impassioned speech, Blanche said, “I don’t think I could have said it better myself.”

“Let’s talk about the obvious,” Steinglass said. “The defendant is both a former president and a candidate for that office.

“This matter has nothing to do with your personal politics,” he insisted. “It’s not a referendum” on Trump’s presidency. “This case is about whether this man broke the law.

In a heavy dose of understatement, Steinglass also told the court that several witnesses in the case “have some baggage” and that one was a tabloid publisher and the other an adult film star.

Then there was Michael Cohen who “pleaded guilty to several federal crimes, including lying to Congress.”

Trump shook his head in frustration when Steinglass said some witnesses had written books and podcasts and “publicly denied” many of the things they would testify about at trial.

Trump’s frustration appeared to be directed at Cohen, whom he has repeatedly called a liar.

Steinglass said the case was “not a referendum on whether you like the witnesses.”

“Can you separate credibility from sympathy?” he said. No one on the jury said this was a problem.

Steinglass said he was going to “look at the defendant and look within yourself” and ask if they could return a guilty verdict if that was their decision.

Trump stared intently toward the jury as they did so. They all indicated that they could do that.

After the ex-president’s outburst outside court, Trump let off steam by winking at a court official and asking, “How are you?” before taking his seat.

Hundreds of potential jurors have gathered and are being questioned about whether they can be impartial.

Judge Merchan called the list of 42 questions prospective jurors must answer, including which news channels they tune into, “by far the most comprehensive questionnaire” ever used in a trial.

On day two, a potential juror revealed that they had read three of Trump’s books.

The cover-up caused Trump, who had been stony-faced, to break into a broad smile.

The guy said he read “Art of the Deal” and How to be Rich and then wrestled with the name “Think Like a Champion.”

When he got it right, Trump nodded approvingly.

Earlier, Trump raged outside court: “I paid a lawyer and wrote it down as a bill for legal fees. An accountant (I didn’t know) classified it as legal costs. That’s exactly what it was. And are you being sued for that?

“I should be campaigning now in Pennsylvania, Florida, and many other states, North Carolina and Georgia.

This is all coming from the Biden White House because the man can’t put two sentences together. He can’t campaign. They use this to try to win a chosen one. And it doesn’t work.’

Trump arrived in court wearing a dark blue suit, blue shirt and blue tie, a change from his usual bright red tie.

After entering the courtroom, he sat at a table with his lawyers and looked ahead, tilting his head from side to side and appearing impassive.