Jurors will deliberate until 4:30 p.m. ET today if they don't reach a verdict sooner, Judge Merchan said.

"You cannot leave the building and you need to be able to get here quickly" when a verdict is reached, the judge told the parties after the jury had left the courtroom.

Former President Trump got up from the defense table and spoke with several associates, then exited the courtroom with his entourage.

The staff and lawyers from the Manhattan district attorney's office also left the courtroom.

As the 12 main jurors left the courtroom, most appeared to look away from Trump as they passed his counsel table.

The six alternate jurors remained in the courtroom after the 12 main jurors left to begin deliberations.

"We are not going to excuse you just yet," Judge Merchan told the alternates,

He asked them to stick around through the deliberations. though they won't participate in the deliberations themselves.

"That concludes my instructions on the law. Counsel please approach," Judge Merchan said when he was done instructing the jury.

He held a sidebar with the attorneys, after which the jurors filed out of the courtroom to begin deliberations.

Judge Merchan emphasized that jurors each need to come to an individual decision about the verdict after hearing and understanding the view of the other jurors.

"Each of you must decide the case for yourself, but only after a fair and impartial consideration of the evidence with the other jurors," Merchan said.

"You should discuss the evidence and consult with each other, listen to each other, give the others' views careful consideration," he said. "You should not surrender an honest view of the evidence simply because you want the trial to end, or because you're outvoted."

"Your verdict on each count you consider must ... be unanimous -- that is, each and every juror must agree to it," Merchan said.

Merchan said that the jury foreperson will read the verdict for each of the charged counts. Merchan will then poll the entire jury to confirm their verdict.

Following the lunch break, the parties returned to the courtroom ahead of their closing argument.

Judge Merchan began the afternoon session by asking prosecutors about the curative instruction following defense attorney Todd Blanche's mention of prison at the end of his closing argument.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger told Merchan that Blanche's mention of prison time was "highly improper" and a direct violation of a pretrial order about arguments related to potential punishments.

"Mr. Blanche was certainly on notice that this was an improper argument," Hoffinger said.

Blanche did not opposed to the curative instruction about his earlier arguments. Merchan will deliver it to the jury as drafted by prosecutors.