What the Trump Jurors Think of the Former President

Read our ongoing coverage of Donald Trump’s first criminal trial here.

After a lot of back-and-forth and multiple jurors backing out, the full 12-person jury in Donald Trump’s first criminal trial was rounded out on Thursday, along with one alternate.

Here’s what we learned about the latest jurors to be added, and their views of the former president, after their responses to the 42-part questionnaire and about an hour of voir dire. (We wrote about the first half of the jury here.) We will be filling out the rest of the alternates as what is expected to be the final day of jury selection continues on Friday.

The original Juror No. 2, selected on Tuesday, left the jury at the start of the day after family members told her that her employer, which was discussed in open court and was public knowledge, had been published by multiple media outlets (initially including Slate). A man who lives in Hell’s Kitchen and works in investment banking replaced her as Juror No. 2. He said he follows Michael Cohen, MuellerSheWrote, and Kellyanne Conway on X. He said that he followed these accounts because he needed to pay attention to any social media accounts that might “move markets.” When asked, he said he would be able to stop following Cohen, who will obviously be a witness in this case, during the trial. The juror added that he was particularly interested in Israel and Ukraine news. On his opinion of Trump, he said that “I might not like some of his policies,” but “it goes both ways.” He hasn’t read any Trump books, but says he has seen quotes from The Art of the Deal. It seems unusual that a juror with so much potential knowledge of the case ended up on this jury, but here we are.

Juror No. 4 is also a replacement, after the original Juror No. 4 was removed from the case on Thursday morning for apparently failing to disclose an arrest in the 1990s over tearing down political posters and an interaction his wife had with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. The new (and hopefully final?) Juror No. 4 is a man originally from California who lives in the West Village. He is married with children and enjoys metalworking and woodworking. In the middle of voir dire, Trump attorney Susan Necheles remarked to Juror No. 4, “You look like you’re cold.” He responded, “I am freezing.” Previously, Trump attorney Todd Blanche had complained to the judge about the temperature in the room. “Is it possible to warm it up just a degree or two in here?” he asked the judge. “If I did that it would probably go up about 30 degrees,” Judge Merchan responded. “It is cold, there’s no question it’s cold. I agree with you, it’s chilly in here, no question.” Nothing was done about the temperature. At the end of the day, Trump started complaining that it was “freezing” in the courtroom, including in open court and then in remarks to the press after court let out.

Juror No. 8 is a man originally from Lebanon who has lived on the Upper East Side for decades. He is a retired wealth manager who is married with children. During voir dire, he responded that he doesn’t really pay attention to politics. “I live in New York so I know about President Trump, but I’m more interested in my hobbies,” he told the court. Those hobbies include fly fishing, skiing, yoga, and meditation. He follows the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the BBC, and CNBC.

Juror No. 9 is a woman who previously lived in New Jersey, who said about her news consumption: “I don’t watch any news or follow it too closely.” Of the limited things she does read, she listed CNN’s “5 Things” and the New York Times’ “morning whatever,” seemingly referring to a newsletter. “I do have opinions, but I do think I can be fair and impartial,” she said. “I don’t really know about business so I don’t know about President Trump in that state,” she said. She said she feels the media saturation around Trump has subsided to the point that she does not have a strong opinion now about his politics. “When he was president, everyone was kind of talking about politics,” she said. “But it’s not something that happens now that he’s not president.”

Juror No. 10 is a man who was born and raised in Ohio, but lives now in Murray Hill. “I live with another adult, he’s an accountant,” Juror No. 10 said during the questionnaire. He said he doesn’t really follow the news, “but if anything, it’s the New York Times.” He says he listens to behavioral psychology podcasts and doesn’t have a strong opinion about Trump. Of Trump’s political policies, Juror No. 10 said “some I’m in favor [of], some I’m not in favor [of].”

Juror No. 11 is a woman who lives in Upper Manhattan and is originally from California. She enjoys traveling, eating, and visiting New York. She said, “I don’t really watch the news,” and noted that she had a close friend convicted of financial fraud, which might make her more sympathetic to Trump in this case. During voir dire, Necheles asked her feelings about Donald Trump and she was very forthright. “I don’t have strong opinions, but I don’t like his persona,” she said. “How he presents himself in public.” When asked to expand on how she might be able to be impartial, she said, “I don’t like some of my co-workers, but I don’t try to sabotage their work.” Merchan couldn’t hear and asked her to repeat herself. “I don’t like some of my co-workers,” Juror No. 11 was made to repeat in open court. When asked to expand on her views of Trump himself, she said: “He seems very selfish and self-serving. I don’t really appreciate that from any public servant.” She described Trump’s persona and how he “portrays himself in public” as “not my cup of tea.” Necheles asked her if she didn’t like Trump, and she responded “yes.” The defense tried to have Juror No. 11 removed for cause because of these answers, but Merchan said, “the issue is whether they can be fair and impartial. I think she was adamant that she can be fair and impartial,” before saying tersely: “I’m denying your challenge for cause.” The defense was running out of peremptory challenges at that point and didn’t strike this juror.

Juror No. 12 is a woman who has lived in has lived in various places in the U.S. but has now been on the Upper East Side for the past few years. She is a physical therapist with a doctorate in physical therapy. Her husband is a coach for a sports team. She listens to sports and faith-based podcasts, and reads the New York Times, CNN, and USA Today. She described her politics as “quite centrist” and said she has “surrounded myself by people on both sides of the aisle.” She agreed with Juror No. 11 about Trump’s persona. “Some of the ways he may carry himself in public leaves something to be desired,” she said, drawing laughter in the press overflow room. “At the same time, I see him speak to a lot of people in America, and I think there’s something to be said for that,” she added. “I’ve learned to appreciate that diversity and appreciate democracy.” She also said that her “family background comes from totalitarian regimes” that involves seeing people “being sent to prison without a fair trial,” and because of that she particularly understands the importance of the principle of a defendant being viewed as innocent until proven guilty.

Alternate Juror No. 1 is a woman who grew up in England and now lives in Midtown East. She has a college degree, works as an asset manager, and lives with a boyfriend who is self-employed. She likes to run, hang out with friends, and eat food. Of Trump, she said that she has “opinions about him the same way I have opinions about most things,” but “none that would interfere” with her ability to judge the “evidence that was presented.”