Twelve jurors and one alternate juror have been seated in the historic hush money trial of former president Donald Trump, following three days of jury selection in the Manhattan-based court case.
“We have our jury,” Justice Juan Merchan said at the close of proceedings Thursday.
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Seven men and five women were selected, along with one woman as an alternate juror. Several more alternates will be seated before lawyers make their opening statements.
In a typical trial, prospective jurors who know the defendant would not be allowed to serve on the jury because such familiarity would interfere with their ability to remain unbiased. As for Trump, the judge said the key issue is not whether jurors know him or have an opinion of him, but whether they can set aside their feelings and render a verdict based on the evidence and law.
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During questioning, some of the selected jurors acknowledged having personal views of Trump or his presidency but said they could remain impartial in the case. One spoke favorably of him, saying she liked that he “speaks his mind.” Another told the court, “I don’t like his persona.” Overall, the jurors showed a range of knowledge about his court cases, with several saying they didn’t follow the news closely.
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Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records, part of what prosecutors have described as a scheme during the 2016 presidential campaign to cover up an alleged affair with adult-film actress Stormy Daniels. Trump has pleaded not guilty.
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Here is what is known about the jurors who have been seated so far, according to The Washington Post’s reporting and pool reports:
(Illustration by Sophia Deng for The Washington Post)
The Jurors
Juror 1
This juror gets his news from the New York Times, the Daily Mail, as well as “some” Fox News and MSNBC.
“I’ve heard some of them,” the juror said about Trump’s other cases.
He lives in West Harlem and works in sales.
Juror 2
This juror said he follows former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen on Twitter. Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and confidant, arranged the hush money payment to Daniels in 2016 and is expected to be a key witness in the case.
He said he also follows former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway on Twitter, as well as other figures on the right and left. The juror, an investment banker, said he did so because of his work in finance.
“Anything that might move the markets, I might need to know about,” the juror said.
During questioning by Trump’s defense team, he said Trump had done some good for the country. “It’s ambivalent. It goes both ways,” he said.
He said he has listened to “Mueller She Wrote,” a podcast about the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and consumes news about Ukraine and Israel. He told the court he hadn’t read “The Art of the Deal,” Trump’s book on business strategy, but had seen quotes from it.
He lives in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood.
Juror 3
This juror said he doesn’t need to be a mind reader to determine intent.
“I am actually not super familiar with the other charges. I don’t really follow the news that closely — a little embarrassing to say,” he said.
He works as a corporate lawyer and lives in Chelsea. He reads the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. In middle school, he enjoyed watching “The Apprentice.”
Juror 4
Asked by the prosecution if he had any concerns about returning a guilty verdict, this juror said, “No.”
He is not on social media and gets his news from a range of news outlets, he said.
He is an engineer who lives in the Upper West Side. He served on a criminal jury in California a long time ago but said he couldn’t recall if there was a verdict.
Juror 5
This juror said that, as a “woman of color,” she has friends with strong opinions about Trump but that she tries to avoid politics and is not very interested in the news. While most of the jurors in the box indicated they were aware Trump faced other criminal cases, this woman signaled she did not.
She said she likes Trump’s candid style.
“President Trump speaks his mind,” she said. “I’d rather have that than someone in office that we don’t know what he’s doing behind the scenes.”
This juror lives in Harlem and works in education. She gets her information from Google and TikTok, and she listens to “The Breakfast Club,” a radio show in New York City.
Juror 6
During questioning, this juror said she could treat Trump like any other person on trial. “I would say that I think that Trump and I probably have different beliefs,” she said, “but I don’t think that that invalidates anything about who he is as a person.”
This juror is a native New Yorker who has lived in the Chelsea neighborhood. She works as a software engineer, and she gets her news from the New York Times and TikTok.
Juror 7
This juror said he has “political views as to the Trump presidency” and thinks there were probably Trump administration policies he disagreed with.
“I don’t know the man, and I don’t have opinions about him personally,” he added.
The juror also said he does not have any opinions about Trump’s character.
“I certainly follow the news. I’m aware there are other lawsuits out there,” he said. “But I’m not sure that I know anyone’s character.”
This juror lives on the Upper East Side and works as a civil litigator. He gets his news from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Post and The Washington Post. He also listens to NPR’s “Car Talk,” WNYC public radio and the “SmartLess” podcast.
Juror 8
This juror paused before answering “yes” when asked if he had feelings about Trump that could prevent him from being impartial.
The judge stopped him, asked him to be clear, then repeated the question. “No,” the juror responded.
He said he gets his news from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNBC and the BBC.
He is retired from a wealth management firm and lives on New York’s Upper East Side. He said he once served on a jury but the case settled before trial began.
Juror 9
This juror said she had opinions about Trump but insisted she could be impartial.
“I fully believe that I can follow the judge’s instructions,” she said. She added that she appreciated an analogy offered by prosecutors during questioning because, she said, “I’m not very well-versed in the legal world.”
She said she gets morning newsletters from the New York Times and CNN and listens to podcasts about reality television. “I don’t watch any news or follow it too closely,” she said.
She said she works as a speech therapist and lives on the Upper East Side.
Juror 10
This juror said he prefers podcasts about behavioral psychology to following the news. When it comes to his media consumption, he said, “If anything, it’s the New York Times.”
He lives in New York’s Murray Hill neighborhood and works in e-commerce.
Juror 11
During questions from the defense team, this juror was blunt about how she views Trump. “I don’t have strong opinions, but I don’t like his persona, how he presents himself in public,” she said.
“I don’t like some of my coworkers, but I don’t try to sabotage their work,” she continued, drawing laughs in the courtroom.
Merchan asked her to repeat herself for the record, which she did.
“He seems very selfish and self-serving,” she continued. “I don’t really appreciate that from any public servant.” The way he portrays himself publicly, she said, “it’s not my cup of tea.”
Trump defense lawyer Susan Necheles said, “It sounds a a bit like what you’re saying is you don’t like him.”
“Yes,” the juror responded.
The juror lives upper Mannhattan and works in product development. She follows fashion publications and watches late-night television but doesn’t follow the news closely, she said.
Juror 12
This juror said she reads the New York Times, CNN and USA Today. She also listens to sports and faith-based podcasts.
She lives on the Upper East Side and works as a physical therapist.
The Alternates
Alternate 1
This juror, the first alternate to be seated, gets her news from the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.
She works in finance and lives in Midtown East.
