Trump is the first former president in the country’s history to face a criminal trial.
In his case, he is charged with 34 charges of falsifying business records with the purpose of hiding payments with which he bought the silence of adult film actress Stormy Daniels in 2016.
Daniels was willing to reveal that she had an affair with the tycoon in 2006, something that would have damaged her reputation at the time of her first presidential campaign.
The lawyers decided not to call the former president to the stand, although he initially expressed his intention to testify.
According to the investigation presented, Trump would have paid $130,000 to Daniels through his lawyer at the time, Michael Cohen, now an enemy.
Cohen served as the prosecution’s star witness in this trial. The former ruler’s lawyers attacked his credibility at all times.
Last Monday, the prosecution concluded its presentation of evidence, after having called 20 witnesses, including Daniels herself, who repeated her story of the affair with Trump, providing abundant details.
The final arguments will begin next Tuesday so that the 12-person jury will then unanimously reach the verdict.
If a consensus is not achieved, Judge Merchán could be forced to declare a null trial without a verdict.
Press reports here indicate that Senate Republicans are showing signs of nervousness about the eventual verdict in Trump’s criminal trial.
If a conviction is not achieved, it would serve to strengthen the former president (2017-2021), but, on the contrary, a sentence could have a negative impact on the November 5 elections.
Between 20 and 30 percent of GOP primary voters said they would not consider Trump fit for office if he were convicted of a felony, The Hill reported.
A national poll conducted last month by the Public Opinion Research Laboratory at the University of North Florida found that Trump could lose 10 percent of his supporters if he is convicted.
Other polls conducted earlier this year showed that many voters, including Republicans, would consider a criminal conviction to disqualify Trump from returning to the White House.
Senate Democratic leader Dick Durbin (Ill.) said voters “certainly care” whether Trump is a potential criminal.
“Of course it would be a shameful situation, the first time in the history of the United States that a president is convicted of a serious crime,” he stressed.
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