What to know about today's hearing
- Judge Juan Merchan set an April 15 start date for the trial in the hush money case against former President Donald Trump.
- The trial was initially scheduled to start today, but Merchan allowed a 30-day delay to give Trump's lawyers time to review documents federal prosecutors turned over from their prosecution of key witness Michael Cohen.
- Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg urged the judge not to delay the trial further, arguing that only a few hundred of the 170,000 documents from federal prosecutors are relevant to Trump’s defense.
- The district attorney alleges Trump falsified business records related to $130,000 in hush money that Cohen paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election to keep her quiet about her claim that she had an adulterous affair with Trump, which the former president denies.
- Appearing for Bragg's office were prosecutors Joshua Steinglass, Matthew Colangelo, Christopher Conroy and Susan Hoffinger. Lawyers Todd Blanche, Susan Necheles and Emil Bove are among those present for Trump's defense.
- In a victory for Trump, a New York appeals court reduced the bond required for his civil fraud verdict in that separate case and gave him more time to post it.
Trump says he 'might' put his own money into his presidential campaign
In response to a question from NBC News, Trump said that he "might" put his own money into his presidential campaign.
“I’ll be spending money on my campaign, I might spend a lot of money on my campaign," he said. But, he told reporters, "It's none of your business."
Trump said on Friday that he has $500 million in cash, which he claimed he was planning to spend on his campaign. The former president, however, hasn't spent his own money on his campaigns since 2016.
Trump rails against legal woes he's facing, calls it 'election interference'
Speaking to reporters at his 40 Wall Street property, Trump again griped that “this is all about election interference,” repeating baseless allegations that Biden is attempting a political hit job against him ahead of the presidential election.
“It’s a shame what’s happening to our country, this is election interference,” he said. “They are doing things that have never been done in this country before.”
He then went off on a tirade that addressed a wide variety of topics from the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Hillary Clinton, his social media company and inflation.
Trump will deliver remarks at 1 p.m.
Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform that he will address members of the media at 1 p.m. at his property at 40 Wall Street.
Truth Social owner Trump Media will begin trading under DJT ticker Tuesday
Trump’s newly merged social media company will begin trading under the stock ticker symbol DJT on Tuesday, the firm said in a new regulatory filing.
The company, which owns the Truth Social app platform, will be called Trump Media & Technology Group Corp., and will trade on the NASDAQ market.
TMTG is the result of a combination of Trump’s company and the shell company Digital World Acquisition Corp.
Trump says judge's decision on trial date is 'election interference'
Trump addressed the cameras outside the courtroom, calling Merchan's decision a disgrace, a "clear case of election interference” and “voter intimidation." He also said he would be appealing the decision.
Hearing has ended
The court adjourned at 12:15 p.m.
Trump conferred with his attorneys and on his way out gave a thumbs-up to a reporter and a thank you to a woman in the back row.
Judge has set start date of the trial for April 15
The judge has set a start date of April 15 for the trial to begin with jury selection.
Judge says he will rule from bench now, doesn't blame DA for document delays
"The district attorney of New York county is not at fault for the late production of documents from the U.S. attorney’s office," Merchan says. "The Manhattan district attorney’s office made diligent, good-faith efforts."
Trump is shaking his head as Merchan begins reading his decision.
Trump praises appeal court decision on his civil fraud judgment, calls judge 'a disgrace'
Addressing cameras upon his return to the courtroom, Trump criticized the judge in his civil fraud case, calling him "a disgrace to this country." He praised the decision of the New York appellate court in reducing his bond saying that he "greatly respects the decision" and that he will "post $175 million...very quickly within the 10 days."
When asked by a reporter whether he would accept foreign money to pay the bond, he did not answer.
New York AG notes the $464 million judgment against Trump and co-defendants 'still stands'
In a statement following the state appellate court’s ruling lowering Trump’s bond to $175 million, the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the civil fraud case against Trump, noted that the original $464 million judgment “still stands.”
“Donald Trump is still facing accountability for his staggering fraud. The court has already found that he engaged in years of fraud to falsely inflate his net worth and unjustly enrich himself, his family, and his organization,” a spokesperson for James said in a statement. “The $464 million judgment — plus interest — against Donald Trump and the other defendants still stands.”