One was a fan of The Apprentice in middle school. One opposed a travel ban he implemented. One thought he was “fascinating and mysterious.”
Most had one thing in common: They came into the Manhattan courtroom with opinions about the most famous criminal defendant in the country.
Choosing 12 jurors and six alternates in former President Donald Trump’s hush money case was never expected to be easy. Two days into jury selection, the court had secured seven jurors, but the process could last at least another couple of days, an unusually lengthy duration.
A pool of six reporters circulated details throughout the day that conveyed, at times, the tribulations Judge Juan Merchan and attorneys for Trump and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg experienced as they sought to find a dozen people who could fairly determine Trump’s fate in a historic criminal trial expected to last several weeks.
Todd Blanche, Trump’s lead attorney, opened his que …