Trump forced to see mean memes about him shared by prospective jurors

On the second day of the former president's New York criminal trial, the defense argued against seating jurors who had posted negatively about him online

Donald Trump, a man renowned for craving adulation and approval, has this week been confronted with the disdain of Manhattanites called as prospective jurors in his New York criminal trial for allegedly falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. No wonder he’s apparently trying to sleep through the proceedings.

While no jurors were selected on Monday — with dozens excused after indicating they could not be fair and impartial in weighing the 34 felony charges against Trump — seven made the cut on Tuesday. (The court will need 18 people to qualify in all: 12 jurors and six alternates.) However, more were dismissed after questions arose about content they had shared on social media that disparaged the former president, and Trump himself was not spared from hearing what they had posted.

One potential juror ruled out on Tuesday was a man who recently shared an AI-generated video of Trump saying “I’m dumb as fuck,” according to reporter Josh Kovensky of Talking Points Memo. The man had evidently tried to conceal his opinion of Trump during earlier questioning, per The New York Times, and protested that the video was only something he “reposted,” but Judge Juan Merchan dismissed him.

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