After attorneys for each side introduced themselves, Judge Juan Merchan said that before jury selection can begin "there are a couple of loose ends we need to go over before we start."

The first item, Merchan said, was a pair of motions filed by Trump's legal team seeking his recusal from the case, citing his past comments in interviews and his daughter's work with a Democrat-affiliated firm.

The motions, Merchan said, cite "pages and pages of screen grabs, articles, social media posts and the like" that amount only to "a series of inferences, innuendos, and unsupported speculation."

To call them "attenuated is an understatement," Merchan said.

Merchan denied the motion and said the court would not address the matter further.

"All rise," the bailiff announced at 9:59 a.m. ET. "This is the People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump."

And with that, proceedings are underway.

Members of the prosecution and the defense, including the former president, stood briefly as Judge Juan Merchan entered the courtroom and took his seat on the bench.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg entered the courtroom shortly before court went into session.

Former President Trump arrived at the courtroom at 9:32 a.m. flanked by members of his legal team.

In brief remarks to reporters on the way in, he called his criminal trial an "assault on America."

"Nothing like this has ever happened before," Trump said, marking his first comments of the day as he becomes the first former American president to face criminal charges.

"There is no case," he said. "This is political persecution."

Trump also attacked President Joe Biden and said the case should not go forward.

Upon entering the courtroom, he sat at the defendant's table as his lawyers and court officers buzzed around him.

Several members of the Manhattan district attorney’s office have arrived in the courtroom.

Proceedings are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. ET.

David Pecker might be the only witness on the stand, but defense attorneys appear to be using the former National Enquirer publisher's testimony to go after Michael Cohen.

Under questioning from defense attorney Emil Bove, Pecker said that Cohen at one point asked for his help getting a job with a New-Jersey based company. It wasn't clear when exactly the request was made.

The company promptly rejected the offer, Pecker testified.

"They had no interest in Michael Cohen," Pecker said bluntly.

Pecker also testified that Cohen asked for help sending paparazzi to one of his meetings, then publishing the photos in the National Enquirer.

"That would put pressure on President Trump to treat Cohen differently?" Bove asked about why Cohen wanted the paparazzi.

"Yes," Pecker said.

Bove's use of the term "President Trump" whenever he references his client led to a minor complaint from prosecutors this morning.

"He was not President Trump in June of 2016," prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said.