NEW YORK (AP) — For seven weeks, Donald Trump was on trial in his hometown of New York City as 12 Americans weighed the evidence against him in a hush money case before ultimately voting to convict him, making him the first former president to be convicted of a felony.
Trump, once known for his gilded penthouses and flashy glamour, was required to report most days to a grubby, aging courthouse in lower Manhattan. He’d been a fixture in the city for decades as a wealthy and famous real estate developer and tabloid celebrity, and later as a presidential candidate and president of the United States.
As he was recast as a criminal defendant, those roles converged, with prosecutors making their case by weaving together his ties to tabloid publishers, an alleged sexual encounter at a celebrity golf tournament and his actions as a candidate and president to cover it up.
Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, brought his 2024 presidential campaign with him. Campaign advisers and his politically involved adult children showed up to support him, along with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and other loyalist politicians, including a few auditioning to be his running mate.
As the history-making trial unfolded, the scene outside the courthouse became a spectacle unto itself, attracting hordes of news media, displays from some of his fiercest supporters and opponents, and even actor Robert De Niro, who made an appearance on behalf of President Joe Biden’s campaign.
