Six takeaways from first day of Trumps historic New York criminal trial | Donald Trump News [Video]

So it begins. On Monday, history was made as former United States President Donald Trump appeared in a New York courtroom for the start of his trial over charges of falsifying business records.

He became the first US president, past or present, to stand trial on criminal charges.

Monday was the start of what is expected to be a six-week-long process, according to Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the case.

The trial is also the first of four separate criminal trials Trump faces. It comes in the midst of his 2024 bid for the presidency.

Prosecutors hope to convict the former president on 34 felony charges related to hush-money payments he allegedly made to the adult film star Stormy Daniels, who claims they had an affair.

Not only did he attempt to hide the payments, but he did so in an attempt to stem bad pressand conceal information from voters just months before the 2016 presidential election, prosecutors have argued. Trump …