NEW YORK - New York prosecutors and Donald Trump's lawyers make their closing arguments at his hush money trial on Tuesday in a final bid to influence the 12 jurors who decide whether he will become the first U.S. president past or present convicted of a crime.
Instead, they have tried to raise doubts about the credibility of prosecution witnesses, most notably Michael Cohen, who testified that as Trump's fixer he handled the payment to Daniels and that Trump approved the cover-up. A conviction will not prevent Trump from trying to take back the White House from Democratic President Joe Biden as the Republican candidate in the Nov. 5 election, and it would not prevent him from taking office if he won. Opinion polls show the two candidates locked in a tight race.
Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies wrongdoing. His lawyers have implied that the $130,000 payment for Daniels' silence was intended to spare Trump's family from embarrassment, not to protect his White House bid. Prosecutors will cite testimony to argue otherwise.