Judge Juan Merchan denied a request from former President Donald Trump’s legal team to delay his New York trial stemming from an alleged brief relationship with former adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The move came as the court selected jurors in the first week of the proceedings.
Previously, the judge wrote that Trump appeared to “take the position that his situation and this case are unique and that the pre-trial publicity will never subside. However, this view does not align with reality.”
Merchan accused the former president of being “personally responsible for generating much, if not most, of the surrounding publicity with his public statements.”
The judge wrote that the current situation was “not new” to Trump and “at least in part, of his own doing.”
Trump disagreed with the decision and called the trial a “scam.”
“All I can do is tell the truth,” he said. “And the truth is, they have no case.”
The former president also said that it was “very unfair” that he was having a trial in New York. Trump attorney Todd Blanche previously wrote that the “potential jurors in Manhattan have been exposed to huge amounts of biased and unfair media coverage relating to this case.”
“Many of the potential jurors already wrongfully believe that President Trump is guilty,” Blanche said.
This Trial is a Long, Rigged, Endurance Contest, dealing with Nasty, Crooked People, who want to DESTROY OUR COUNTRY. MAGA2024!
Donald Trump Truth Social 02:26 PM EST 04/19/24
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 19, 2024
A number of prospective jurors were dismissed, including several for stating that they would be biased if asked to judge the former president. The former president and his attorneys also argued that negative news coverage could taint the jury pool and lead to potential jurors being biased against him.
The judge’s decision was not the only element of note during Friday’s proceedings. Outside of the courthouse, a man lit himself on fire in protest. The exact circumstances are still under investigation, but it appears that the man could have left-wing political beliefs.
Separately on Thursday Judge Amit Mehta denied a similar motion to delay several lawsuits related to the Jan. 6, 2021 protest at the Capitol.
