Donald Trump will make history as the first former president to stand trial on criminal charges when his hush money case opens with jury selection. The case, starting Monday, will force the presumptive Republican presidential nominee to juggle campaigning with sitting in a Manhattan courtroom for weeks to defend himself against charges involving a scheme to bury allegations of marital infidelity that arose during his first White House campaign in 2016. It carries enormous political ramifications as potentially the only one of four criminal cases against Trump that could reach a verdict before voters decide in November whether to send him back to the White House. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and slammed the case as an effort to hurt his 2024 presidential campaign.
