Trump trial dwell updates: Jury returns for second day of deliberations

After Judge Juan Merchan wrapped up his instructions to the jury he had one last order for Donald Trump, his legal team and the prosecutors.

‘I do direct all of you to be please here,’ he said Wednesday, before heading for his robing room. ‘You cannot leave the building.’

It is another humbling moment for the man who was leader of the free world for four years and may yet be again after November’s election.

He held up traffic with his motorcade and closed airspace in Air Force One. But for the past five weeks in a New York courtroom, Trump has had to follow rules laid out by a judge and enforced by bailiffs.

Jury deliberations got underway on Thursday and twelve New York jurors now hold the fate of former U.S. President Donald Trump in their hands.

They deliberated for four-and-a-half hours and sent the judge two notes for testimony to be read back before they were sent home.

Here were the big moments of the day:

• Jury Instructions: Judge Juan Merchan read through the jury instructions for the jurors in a calm and even tone. The judge told the jury to consider only the evidence and instructed them to set aside bias and opinions about the ex-president. Merchan then read through the law and the 34 charges against Trump. He also explained how deliberations would proceed.
• Deliberations begin: The twelve jurors were then escorted from the courtroom to begin deliberations. They deliberated for about four and a half hours on the first day of jury deliberations.
• Trump sets expectations: While the jury began deliberations, Trump spoke to the media where he slammed the whole case as ‘rigged’ and put the ‘conflicted’ judge on blast. He said ‘Mother Teresa could not beat those charges.’
• Jury sends two notes: As the jury deliberations continued into the afternoon, the jury sent two notes with requests to the judge. The first requested four pieces of testimony. The jury wants to rehear Pecker’s testimony about a phone conversation with Trump while he was in an investor meeting, about a decision regarding the Karen McDougal life rights deal, and about a Trump Tower meeting. They also want Michael Cohen’s testimony on the meeting. The jury also asked to rehear the jury instructions.

Twelve Manhattan residents have Donald Trump‘s fate in their hands as the historic hush money case against the ex-president heads to jury deliberations.

Through six weeks of sometimes salacious and other times grueling witness testimony the jury listened closely as prosecutors laid out their case and Trump’s defense team attempted sow doubt.

Seven men and five women – including a corporate lawyer and a woman who called the ex-president ‘selfish’ – will ultimately determine if Trump is guilty or not guilty of hiding a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about their alleged affair in an effort to influence the 2016 election.

DailyMail.com breaks down what we know about who gets to decide Trump’s innocence or guilt.

Donald Trump on Thurdsay slammed the case against him as ‘rigged’ upon leaving the courtroom.

‘Mother Teresa could not beat those charges,’ Trump said speaking to the media. ‘But we’ll see.’

The ex-president also went after Judge Merchan.

‘The judge is so conflicted that he can’t breathe,’ he claimed.

Trump blasted Merchan for contributing to President Biden and suggested he’s done ‘far worse than that, but I’m not allowed to talk about it because of a gag order.’

Donald Trump and his eldest son, Don Jr. put out a TikTok on Wednesday night that saw the duo sitting together in a back room at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse concocting their next mean tweet.

Judge Juan Merchan wrapped up his instructions to the jury on Wednesday as they retired to consider their verdict, but he had one last order for the former president, his legal team and the prosecutors.

‘I do direct all of you to be please here,’ he instructed. You cannot leave the building.’

It means for that for the first time in several weeks, Trump has time on his hands.

Sitting together with his son in one of the courthouse’s white-walled meeting rooms, accompanied with a bottle of Diet Coke and several boxes of chocolates, the pair turned the camera on themselves to create a short clip.