NEW YORK — Donald Trump was in Manhattan Supreme Court Monday for jury selection at his historic hush money trial — the first criminal trial of a former president. The trial is the culmination of a multiyear investigation by the Manhattan district attorney into Trump and his alleged efforts to influence the results of the 2016 presidential election by paying hush money to silence stories of his illicit sexual encounters.

District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case is expected to center on payments arranged by Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen to porn star Stormy Daniels as well as Playboy model Karen McDougal and a Trump Tower doorman.

Bragg has accused the former president of concealing his reimbursement of Cohen for a $130,000 payment to Daniels right before the 2016 election in exchange for keeping quiet about a sexual encounter she says they had 10 years prior. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts related to reimbursement to Cohen — a total of $420,000. The counts represent 11 checks, 11 invoices, and 12 ledger entries.

The first batch of potential jurors went through a set of questions both sides have agreed upon in a process called voir dire that will whittle the pool of hundreds of potential jurors to 12 plus six alternates.

The first question posed to the 96 prospective panelists was whether they think they can be “fair and impartial” in judging the facts of the case. After Judge Juan Merchan asked the room, more than half of them were excused.

Before the jurors came in, Merchan settled some last pretrial matters. He gave the defense 24 hours to present evidence to the DA’s lawyers, and set a hearing date of April 23 as the next step in the prosecution’s request for Trump to be held in contempt for the Truth Social posts.

Prosecutors had asked Merchan to hold Trump in contempt for violating a gag order prohibiting comments about witnesses in three recent online posts referencing Cohen, calling him a “sleazebag” in one.

Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass said, “The defendant himself has publicly embraced the public strategy of going after his perceived enemies.”

ADA Chris Conroy later asked Merchan to fine Trump $1,000 for each of the posts in question and said prosecutors were reviewing whether he violated it a fourth time in another post Monday morning.

“It’s entirely possible it was done within this courthouse,” the prosecutor said.

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