Trump trial: Biden calls Trump's remarks 'dangerous'
Trump was found guilty on all 34 felony counts in his hush money trial.
Former President Donald Trump has been found guilty on all 34 felony counts related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. It marks the first time in history that a former U.S. president has been convicted on criminal charges.
Trump last April pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.
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Trump guilty on all 34 counts
Judge tells parties to stay in building during deliberations
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.
Alternate jurors will stay through deliberations
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.
Jury begins deliberating in historic case
"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.
Merchan tells jurors be firm but considerate of other jurors
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.
Jury rehears exchange about gaps in Pecker's memory
The jury heard an exchange between David Pecker and defense attorney Emil Bove where Bove highlighted that Pecker originally thought the Trump Tower meeting took place in the first week of August 2015. Pecker testified that the meeting actually happened in the middle of August.
Bove used the moment as an opportunity to highlight "gaps" in Pecker's memory and emphasize how long ago the meeting took place.
Q: And you changed your testimony here; right?
A: Yes, when I discovered that it was in the middle -- that it was the middle of August.
Q: And when you say that you "discovered," what you mean is that somebody told you that, notwithstanding what you testified about in the Grand Jury, President Trump was actually not in New York City during the first week of August; correct?
A: I -- I don't recall anyone telling me about that, that Mr. Trump was away in the first week of August.
Q: And then you changed your testimony, this week, on that issue; right?
A: Yes, that's correct.
Q: Why did you change your testimony?
A: I thought that -- I didn't know the exact date. I thought -- I know it was in the first half of August, so I thought it was the middle of August, that's what I recollected. That's why I corrected my -- the dates, yes.
A: I didn't believe that the exact date was --
Q: I understand. And I don't mean to put you on the spot. What I'm getting at, though, is that these things happened a long time ago; right?
A: Yes.
Q: And even when you're doing your best, and I'm sure you are right now, it's hard to remember exactly what happened when; right?
A: Yes.
Q: And when you are remembering about conversations that you had, it's hard to remember what people said almost ten years ago; correct?
A: You -- Ahhhh, yes.
Q: And so there are some instances where your mind sort of fills in gaps; right?
A: To the best of my knowledge.
Q: And you do your best to explain what happened in a way that makes sense; correct?
A: To what I remember.
Q: Yeah, to what you remember. And you fill in some details to keep things in sequence; right, and to make them sound logical?
A: I try to make them -- to what I remember. And to be truthful.
Q: I understand. But there are some gaps; correct?
A: Yes.