Madeline Halpert, Reporting from New Hampshire with Anthony Zurcher, Sarah Smith, Nomia Iqbal, Gary O’Donoghue, Bernd Debusmann Jr, Mike Wendling and Holly Honderich reporting from Iowa, and Madeline Halpert in Concord, New Hampshire.
Donald Trump is in court in New York City for his second defamation case between him and writer E Jean Carroll
Carroll, who accused Trump of rape, is suing him for damages for comments he made in 2019 about her and the allegations. Trump denies any wrongdoing
Later he will head to New Hampshire – where the race to pick the Republican nominee for president is now gearing up, ahead of the state’s primary next Tuesday
Trump cemented his status as the clear frontrunner after a resounding win in Iowa, with Ron DeSantis a distant second place and Nikki Haley in third
Haley is already out campaigning in New Hampshire and says she will only join the next debate if Trump attends – but so far Trump has not appeared at any
Meanwhile biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump – he had caused a stir in early debates but failed to gain traction
Whoever wins the Republican nomination will face a Democrat, almost certainly Joe Biden, in the November presidential election.
Jurors in Trump defamation case asked about voting history and views
I’ve just popped out of an overflow room at the Manhattan courthouse, where no electronics are allowed. We’re in the thick of jury selection in writer E Jean Carroll’s defamation damages case against Donald Trump.
One by one, dozens of jurors entered the courtroom – surrounding Trump and Carroll – as they took their seats in the jury box and filled up the audience benches. Some of them appeared to sneak glances at the defence table where the former president is sitting.
Trump’s presence in the case led to some unusual questions to determine whether potential jurors could judge the case impartially.
Nearly all in the jury pool said they were registered voters and had voted in the 2016 and 2020 elections.
At one point, District Judge Lewis Kaplan asked if any potential jurors believed the 2020 election was stolen from Trump – two said yes.
He also asked if any believed the QAnon conspiracy theory or supported the MeToo movement.
Trump twisted and turned in his chair to get a look at jurors as they each responded to questions from the judge.
Carroll mostly looked straight ahead at the judge, allowing Trump only a view of her back.
Trump makes a courtroom stop before a New Hampshire rally
The former president has a busy travel schedule after his big win in Iowa.
He enjoyed a record-breaking victory in the Midwest yesterday, but Trump is now sitting in a Manhattan courtroom in his civil defamation damages trial.
He is being sued by E Jean Carroll, who has accused him of raping her decades ago, for statements he made about her in 2019.
For now, he’s sitting behind a defence table with his lawyers, but he will soon be back on the campaign trail speaking to voters.
His New Hampshire supporters are eagerly anticipating his arrival this evening.
Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in the southern city of Atkinson at 17:00 EST (22:00 GMT).
