A 12-person jury was finalized in former President Donald Trump’s Manhattan hush money trial Thursday — following a tumultuous day that saw two previously selected jurors get booted.
Trump, 77, didn’t comment on the chosen panel that’ll decide his fate as he left court, but did again slam the trial as a “scam” while flipping through clippings of news articles and editorials from various outlets that he said were critical of the case.
“The whole world is watching this hoax,” the presumptive Republican presidential nominee said.
The lightning-fast progress in the case came after two of the seven jurors who’d been picked earlier this week were dismissed by midday — only for seven more to be selected in 15 minutes following hours of whittling down by Trump’s lawyers and prosecutors.
The new jurors added Thursday afternoon included a retired wealth manager from Lebanon who does yoga every morning, a speech therapist from the Upper East Side and a Murray Hill man who works at an eyewear company.
During the jury selection process, Trump came face-to-face with dozens of New Yorkers, including a 34-year law enforcement veteran who has season tickets to the New York Rangers, still uses a flip phone and loves his hometown tabloids.
“The only publications I read are The Daily News and The Post,” the potential juror proudly said, notably leaving a popular Times Square-based broadsheet newspaper off his list.
A wide smile beamed across Trump’s face as the man thanked him for fixing Wollman Rink at Central Park.
“As a wannabe hockey player, I still thank him for fixing that Wollman Rink that nobody couldn’t fix,” said the prospective juror — who was later dismissed at the request of prosecutors.
Two prospective female jurors sounded off on Trump, with one saying he “seems selfish” and that “I don’t like his persona.”
That woman ended up on the jury after saying she didn’t actually know Trump and that she could decide the case based on facts.
Here’s what we know about the seven new panelists:
- Juror No. 2 is an investment banker who lives in Hells Kitchen with his wife and follows Trump on X and listens to Michael Cohen’s podcast.
- Juror No. 4 lives on the Upper West Side and is originally from California. He works as a security engineer, is married with kids and does metal-and wood-working. He has some relatives who are lawyers.
- Juror No. 8 is a Lebanon born man who has lived on the Upper East Side for 44 years. He’s a retired wealth manager who still does some consulting work. He’s married with two kids. He skis, does yoga and mediates.
- Juror No. 9 is a woman who lives on the Upper East Side and works as a speech therapist for the city Department of Education. She is unmarried and lives alone.
- Juror No. 10 is an Ohio native who works in e-commerce. He’s unmarried, loves the outdoors, animals and behavioral psychology.
- Juror No. 11 is a woman who lives in Upper Manhattan and is originally from California. She works as a product development manager. She notably said she doesn’t like Trump’s “persona” and said he “seemed selfish” but said that wouldn’t stop her from being a fair juror.
- Juror No. 12 is a physical therapist who lives on the Upper East Side and his married but doesn’t have any kids. She likes running, playing tennis and listening to live music.
- Alternate No. 1 is an asset analyst who lives in Midtown East with her boyfriend. The woman grew up in England and Hong Kong and attended college in North Carolina. She likes to run, hang out and eat for hobbies.
The five people chosen on Tuesday who remained, rounding out the panel of 12, included a corporate lawyer living in Chelsea who enjoys hiking and running and a lifelong Harlem resident who works as a city teacher and said she likes that Trump “speaks his mind.”
There was also a software engineer who lives in Chelsea and who said she likes going to plays, restaurants, dancing and watching TV and a civil lawyer from North Carolina who lives on the Upper East Side and told the court he enjoys time outside with his kids.
The foreperson is an unmarried man who works in sales, lives in West Harlem and is originally from Ireland.
The first two jurors chosen Thursday replaced the two people let go earlier in the day: An oncology nurse at nurse at Memorial Sloan Kettering — previously Juror No. 2 — who said she couldn’t be “fair and unbiased,” and a 40-year-old Puerto Rican man — previously Juror No. 4 — who prosecutors suggested may have lied about whether he’d previously been arrested.
One of the six alternate jurors was also chosen on Thursday.
Trump will be back in court on Friday for his lawyers and prosecutors in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office to finish picking the last five alternates.
Trial is slated to kick of with opening statements on Monday and is expected to last for roughly six weeks.
Trump is accused of falsifying business records to cover up that he had his ex-lawyer Michael Cohen pay former porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 in the lead up to the 2016 election to keep her quiet about claims she had a tryst with the married presidential candidate.
Cohen is expected to be a key witness for the prosecution, brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and Daniels is also likely to testify against the ex-president.
Prosecutors have asked Justice Juan Merchan to fine Trump $3,000 and warn him he could be thrown behind bars for posting on social media about Cohen and Daniels, allegedly violating a gag order the judge put in place.
Merchan ruled that the former commander-in-chief cannot speak about witnesses, jurors and court staff, including relatives of the judge and of Bragg.
