Jurors Hear Closing Arguments in Trump's New York Hush Money Trial

Jurors heard closing arguments in former President Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial on Tuesday.

For Context: Trump is charged with falsifying business records in order to cover up hush money payments made in the lead up to the 2016 presidential election to women he allegedly had affairs with years prior. Over the past weeks, jurors heard testimonies from Stormy Daniels, who claims she was paid to not speak out about her alleged affair with Trump; David Pecker, a tabloid executive who allegedly helped organize the hush money payments; and Michael Cohen, Trump’s former “fixer” who testified that Trump warned him that “a lot of women” would be coming forward in the lead up to the 2016 election.

Details: During closing arguments, Trump’s team argued Cohen is the “MVP of liars” and his testimony cannot be trusted, concluding that there is “not a shred of evidence” that Trump is guilty of the crimes he is charged with committing. The prosecution refuted this, arguing that “there's literally a mountain of evidence” corroborating Cohen’s testimony, which “provides context and color” to the evidence.

How the Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum closely converted the trial in the context of the 2024 election. This will likely be the only one of Trump’s legal cases to reach trial before November. The New York Post (Lean Right bias) noted a clash between protesters outside the courthouse. NewsNation (Center bias) noted that if Trump is found guilty, he could face 20 years in prison.