Trump hush money trial day 21: Robert DeNiro heckled by Trump supporters on closing arguments day

At the Manhattan courthouse, lawyers for former US President Donald Trump and state prosecutors presented their closing arguments to jurors in the hush money trial on Tuesday (May 28).Now, the jury will soon deliberate whether Trump will become the first former US president convicted of a crime as he faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Here are the key takeaways from the closing arguments of the defence and prosecution

Defence closing arguments

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Trump’s defence lawyer Todd Blanche delivered nearly three hours of arguments and challenged the prosecution's case by attacking the credibility of its star witness, Michael Cohen. Blanche's argument ranged from detailed discussions on tax filings to political campaign practices.

“There’s no malfeasance here, only democracy in action,” Blanche said, adding the case was a 'witch hunt'.

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By framing his case as a misinterpretation of normal campaign activities, he argued that every political campaign in the country "is a conspiracy to promote a candidate, a group of people who are working together to help somebody win.”

In addition to this, Blanche dismissed Daniels’s testimony as irrelevant to the charges and accused her of attempting to garner sympathy from jurors.

He also depicted Cohen as a “serial liar” and “the human embodiment of reasonable doubt.”

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Urging jurors to remain impartial, Blanche concluded, “This is not a referendum on the ballot box—who you voted for in 2016 or 2020, who you plan on voting for in 2024. That is not what this is about.”

Prosecution closing arguments

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass spent over five hours detailing the case against Trump, pointing out that the former president attempted to 'hoodwink voters'.

He characterised his actions as a deliberate conspiracy to deceive voters during the 2016 election. Steinglass argued that Trump orchestrated an elaborate scheme to conceal payments which involved a series of events aimed at manipulating and defrauding voters.

“Trump’s intent to defraud could not be any clearer,” Steinglass said.

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He also pointed out that a direct payment to Daniels would have been simpler but less effective in hiding the affair.

He argued that the scheme was “cloaked in lies" and it benefitted Trump above all others.

“The name of the game was concealment and all roads lead inescapably to the man who benefited the most: the defendant, former president Donald Trump.”

Addressing the jury, Steinglass invoked Trump’s own words, saying, “Donald Trump can’t shoot someone on Fifth Avenue at rush hour and get away with it.” However, this remark by the prosecution drew an objection from Blanche.

Steinglass also reviewed other “catch-and-kill” schemes linked to Trump, including that by National Enquirerpublisher David Pecker.

Countering the defence’s portrayal of the hush money as a move to protect Trump’s family, Steinglass noted the timing of the payment in 2016, 10 years after the alleged affair.

“The defendant’s primary concern was not his family but the election,” he said.

Oscar winner actor Robert De Niro, 80, was also present on behalf of the Biden campaign outside the courthouse. De Niro, calling Trump "a clown," expressed his connection to downtown New York City and said the former US president does not belong there. This marked the Biden campaign's first clear involvement in Trump's legal issues.

Protesters shouted slogans against De Niro, calling him a "paid sell-out" to the Democratic National Committee. De Niro was joined along side former police officers who defended the US Capitol on January6, 2021.

Starting Wednesday (May 29), the jury will begin evaluating the 34 counts of falsifying business records.

A verdict inthe case may not be reached by the end of the week, reports said, but the 12-member jury is on the brink of making a historic decision.

(With inputs from agencies)