Verdict expected soon

Trump trial: now it’s the jury’s turn

Trump at the hush money trial(Bild: Getty Images/ GETTY IMAGES/APA/AFP)

In the historic hush money trial against former US President Donald Trump in New York, the defense and prosecution have concluded their closing arguments. Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass gave his closing address to the twelve jurors on Tuesday evening. The ball is now in the jury's court. It will retire on Wednesday to reach a unanimous verdict.

Normally, these deliberations last between a few hours and several days. In the event of a guilty verdict by the jury, Judge Juan Merchan will determine the sentence on a separate date. If the jury is still unable to reach an agreement after a lengthy deliberation, the trial is over. It could then be retried with a different jury.

"Conspiracy and cover-up"
Steinglass accused the former US president of participating in a "conspiracy and cover-up" in the prosecution's closing statement on Tuesday. He said that Trump had wanted to hide from voters the fact that he had paid hush money to a porn star. The prosecutor urged the twelve jurors to "tune out the noise and ignore the sideshows". "When you have done that, you will see that the People have presented compelling evidence of the defendant's guilt," Steinglass said.

"President Trump is innocent"
Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche had previously called for an acquittal. "President Trump is innocent," the defense attorney had said at the beginning of his presentation. "The consequences of the lack of evidence you've heard over the past five weeks are simple - it's an acquittal."

The consequences of the lack of evidence you've heard over the past five weeks are simple - it's an acquittal.

Trumps Anwalt Todd Blanche

Trump is accused of 34 counts of falsifying documents. If convicted, the renewed presidential contender faces a prison sentence of several years, which could also be suspended, or a fine. He has pleaded not guilty.

First criminal trial against ex-president
This is the first criminal trial against a former US president in American history. More than 20 witnesses have been heard since mid-April. The prosecution accuses Trump of trying to improve his chances of winning the 2016 presidential election by paying 130,000 dollars (119.93 million euros) to porn actress Stormy Daniels. Although the payment itself - which has not been disputed by either side - was not illegal, the now 77-year-old is said to have manipulated documents when reimbursing the amount to his then personal lawyer Michael Cohen in order to conceal the true reason for the transaction. This made the payments illegal campaign financing.