Trump's Trial Continues Amid Election Campaign

Day two of Donald Trump's unprecedented criminal trial held in New York the same way the first ended -- with the defendant and US presidential hopeful being forced to watch in silence as lawyers work through the tortuous process of picking a jury.

No other ex-president in US history has been hauled before a criminal court and the trial in an unglamorous Manhattan courthouse comes as Trump is fighting to make a shock return to the White House in November's election.

Trump has repeatedly described the hush money case in New York as a sham -- or part of some far-reaching conspiracy theory in which Democrats are trying to stop him from taking on President Joe Biden.

But reality set in for the 77-year-old, hard-right Republican as Judge Juan Merchan issued the routine warning for criminal defendants that he will have to attend proceedings daily or face arrest.

"It's a scam. It's a political witch hunt," Trump said leaving court. "We've got a real problem with this judge."

"It's a rigged trial. Our courts, everything is screwed up in New York. And the whole world is watching. This judge is so conflicted. You understand that, you'll take a look at that. There's never been a judge so conflicted as this. It's ridiculous. And also, there's no crime. You know where the crime is? In the bodegas where they come and rob them every week. Or more than that," he added.

Trump faces three other criminal cases centered on his hoarding of top-secret documents after leaving office and his unprecedented attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden.

Those trials are arguably weightier in content, but Trump has succeeded in forcing continued delays, meaning they may not start before the November 5 election.

If convicted in the hush money case, Trump would potentially face prison, but legal observers say fines would be more likely. The maximum sentence would be four years for each count.