Meet the 12 New Yorkers on Trump’s hush money jury
Two lawyers. A teacher and a speech therapist. An Irish foreperson.
Seven men and five women heard opening statements Monday in former President Trump’s hush money case, the first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president.
The jury, selected from hundreds of New Yorkers, is charged with determining Trump’s guilt or innocence as the trial unfolds in the coming weeks. Here’s what we know about each juror and what they said about Trump:
Foreperson: ‘I’ve heard some’ of Trump’s other cases
A man from Ireland was the first juror selected, automatically making him the foreperson of the jury in Trump’s case.
The man, who is married but has no kids, works in sales and enjoys spending time outdoors. He said he gets his news from the New York Times, the Daily Mail, Fox News and MSNBC.
When asked if he’s heard of Trump’s other criminal cases, the man responded, “I’ve heard some of them.”
Second juror: ‘I’ll try to keep an open mind’
The second juror is a married man who works in investment banking.
His hobbies include hiking, music and concerts, and he said he reads “basically everything” — including Trump’s Truth Social posts through an account that reposts them on the social platform X.
The man also said he follows Michael Cohen, Trump’s ex-fixer who made the hush money payment at the center of the case, on X, but he assured Trump’s attorney he would be able to put aside any opinions about Cohen.
“I’ll try to keep an open mind,” the man told prosecutors during questioning.
Third juror: I’m ‘not super familiar’ with Trump’s other charges
To secure a conviction, prosecutors will need to convince all 12 jurors that Trump had an intent to defraud when he allegedly falsified business records.
The third juror, an unmarried man originally from Oregon who works as a corporate attorney, was asked if he could make such a conclusion without getting into Trump’s mind.
“I don’t think I need to read someone’s mind to determine their intent or at least make a guess,” he responded.
The man said he looks at the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and Google, but not often.
“I am actually not super familiar with the other charges. I don’t really follow the news that closely — a little embarrassing to say,” he said.
Fourth juror: ‘No’ concerns about returning a guilty verdict
The fourth juror is a security engineer originally from California. He graduated from high school and has some college education.
The man is married with kids, and he served on a criminal jury a long time ago. He said he is not on social media but gets his news from a variety of different outlets.
When asked by prosecutors if he’d have any concerns returning a guilty verdict if the district attorney’s office clears its burden, he responded, “No.”
Fifth juror: ‘President Trump speaks his mind’
The fifth juror is an English teacher who has a master’s degree in education and is not married.
Notably, the woman indicated she did not know Trump was facing other criminal cases until the lawyers brought it up during the jury selection process.
She said as a person of color, she has friends who have strong opinions about the former president, but she tries to avoid political conversations.
“President Trump speaks his mind, and I’d rather that than someone who’s in office who you don’t know what they’re thinking,” she said.
Sixth juror: Can look at Trump like any other person on trial
The sixth juror is a woman with a bachelor’s degree who works as a software engineer at a major media company.
The woman said she can look at Trump like any other person on trial.
She is not married and indicated she enjoys spending time with family and friends, going to restaurants, dancing and watching television. She gets her news from the New York Times and TikTok.
Seventh juror: ‘Not sure I know anything’ about Trump’s character
The second attorney selected, the seventh juror gave assurances to both prosecutor Susan Hoffinger and Todd Blanche, Trump’s attorney, that he could follow the judge’s legal instructions despite any opinions he may hold.
The man noted he is a civil litigator who knows “virtually nothing” about criminal law.
As for Trump, he said the former president has done some things he liked and other things he didn’t like.
“I’m not sure I know anything about his character,” the man said.
The man is married with kids and is originally from North Carolina. He said he gets his news from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, the Washington Post, WNYC and listens to podcasts “SmartLess” and “Car Talk.”
Eighth juror: ‘No,’ won’t be unfair despite strong opinions
Originally from Lebanon, the eighth juror is a man who has lived in New York for decades.
He previously worked as a wealth manager but is now retired, though he still consults with some former clients. The man has a Master of Business Administration, is married with kids and said he does meditation yoga every morning.
He gets his news from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNBC and BBC.
When asked if he had strong opinions about Trump, the man initially answered yes.
“Do you have any opinions or beliefs that would prevent you from being impartial?” the judge stopped him.
“No,” the man responded.
Ninth juror: ‘I do not agree with a lot of his politics’
The ninth juror is an unmarried woman who was born and raised in New Jersey before moving to New York.
She has a master’s degree and works as a speech therapist. She has TikTok, Instagram and Facebook accounts and also reads CNN’s 5 Things newsletter and The Morning newsletter published by the New York Times.
The woman repeatedly indicated she disagrees with many of Trump’s policies as president but that she “tries to stay away from politics.”
“I do not agree with a lot of his politics and his decisions as a president, but I have really taken the past two days to reflect and make sure that I could leave that at the door and be a totally impartial juror, and I feel like I can,” the woman told the judge.
10th juror: ‘I don’t have a strong opinion about Mr. Trump’
A man born and raised in Ohio was selected as the 10th juror.
He is unmarried, without any kids and works in e-commerce. The man enjoys spending time outdoors and with animals.
He indicated he doesn’t “really follow the news,” but if he does, it’s the New York Times.
“No, I don’t have a strong opinion about Mr. Trump, but politically I have a similar answer: For some things I am in favor, for things I am not in favor,” the man said.
11th juror: Trump is ‘very selfish and self-serving’
The 11th juror is a woman who works for a multinational company and is originally from California.
The woman is unmarried, has no kids and lives alone. She indicated she just watches late night news, though she pays attention to fashion publications for her job.
During her questioning about Trump, she said, “I don’t like his persona.”
“He just seems very selfish and self-serving, so I don’t really appreciate that in any public servant,” the woman said of Trump. “So I don’t, I mean I don’t know him as a person, so I don’t know how he is in terms of his integrity or anything in his personal life.”
“But how he is in public and how he himself portrays himself in public, it just seems to me it is not my cup of tea.”
12th juror: No opinions until ‘I am presented’ the evidence
The final juror, a woman who has previously lived in multiple states before moving to the Upper East Side, holds a doctorate degree and is a physical therapist.
She is married without any children and enjoys hiking and paddleboarding. She gets her news from the New York Times, USA Today, CNN as well as sports and faith-based podcasts.
“As an eligible voter, I feel like it’s my responsibility in regards to elections to establish an educated decision so that I can vote,” the woman said. “In regards to this court case and the defendant in the room, I have no opinions until I am presented the information in the courtroom.”
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