New York prosecutors and Donald Trump's lawyers will deliver closing arguments on Tuesday in his hush-money trial, seeking to sway the decision of the 12 jurors who will determine whether Trump becomes the first U.S. president (current or former) to be convicted of a crime.
After six weeks of trial, prosecutors will argue on Tuesday that the 77-year-old Trump illegally falsified business documents to hide evidence of hush-money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.
Trump's defense team will attempt to convince the jurors of his innocence, asking them to meet the "beyond a reasonable doubt" standard required by U.S. law. Trump denies Daniels' claims of a 2006 sexual encounter, which allegedly occurred while he was married to his current wife, Melania.
Trump's legal team called two witnesses, but the former president did not testify himself.
Instead, they aimed to challenge the credibility of the prosecution's witnesses, particularly Michael Cohen, who testified that he handled the payment to Daniels as Trump's "fixer" and claimed Trump approved the cover-up.
During cross-examination, Trump's lawyers questioned Cohen about his felony convictions and time in prison, history of lying, and resentment towards his former boss. Cohen also admitted to stealing from Trump's company.
If convicted, Trump faces up to four years in prison, though first-time offenders for this type of crime are unlikely to serve jail time.
A conviction would not prevent Trump from running as the Republican nominee in the November 5 election, where he seeks to reclaim the White House from Democratic President Joe Biden, nor would it prevent him from taking office if elected. Polls indicate a tight race between the two candidates.
Trump faces 34 felony charges of falsifying business records, which under New York law are usually misdemeanors.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office elevated these charges to felonies, arguing that Trump falsified these records to conceal illegal campaign contributions: the hush-money payment to Daniels, intended to cover up the alleged 2006 affair while Trump faced several accusations of sexual misconduct.
Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies any wrongdoing. His lawyers suggest that the $130,000 hush-money payment to Daniels was made to avoid embarrassment for Trump's family, not to protect his campaign. Prosecutors will cite testimony to counter this claim.
Trump also faces three other criminal cases, but trials are not expected to commence before the election.
The cases in Washington and Georgia accuse him of illegally trying to overturn the 2020 election loss, while the Florida case alleges he mishandled classified information after leaving office in 2021.
Trump pleads not guilty in all cases and asserts that these charges are efforts by Biden's Democratic allies to obstruct his presidential campaign.
