Angry Donald slams ‘Trump-hating judge’ as five jurors are dismissed straight away: Ex-president calls the trial a ‘disgrace’ which is stopping him campaigning for the White House

Donald Trump slammed the ‘Trump-hating judge’ as the second day of jury selection in his blockbuster hush money trial got underway.

Speaking before entering the courtroom in Manhattan Trump directed his ire at Judge Juan Merchan and also blamed Joe Biden for his being on trial. 

When he made his way into court he winked at a court official and mouthed ‘How are you?’ before taking his seat. 

Trump has pleaded not guilty to falsifying business records over a $160,000 payment to cover up an alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.

Outside the court he said: ‘I was paying a lawyer and marked it down as legal expenses account. Some accountant – I didn’t know – marked it down as a legal expense. That’s exactly what it was. And you get indicted over that?

‘I should be right now in Pennsylvania in Florida, in many other states North Carolina, Georgia, campaigning.

This is all coming from the Biden White House because the guy can’t put two sentences together. He can’t campaign. They’re using this in order to try and win an elect. And it’s not working.’ 

Trump arrived in court wearing a dark blue suit, a blue shirt and a blue tie, a change from his usual bright red tie.

After entering the courtroom he sat at a table with his lawyers and looked forward, tilting his head from side to side and appearing impassive. 

The former president and presumptive GOP nominee railed against the trial and complained about a gag order.

It bars him from from publicly commenting on jurors, potential witness and others related to his criminal cases.

“This conflicted, Trump Hating Judge won’t let me respond to people that are on TV lying and spewing hate all day long,” he wrote on his Truth Social network. “He is running rough shod over my lawyers and legal team.”

The first day of Trump’s Manhattan trial ended on Monday with no one picked to sit on the 12-person jury or as one of six alternates.

Dozens of people were dismissed after saying they didn’t believe they could be fair, but a second batch of about 100 prospective jurors have yet to be questioned.

The criminal trial is the first of any former U.S. commander-in-chief and also the first of Trump’s four indictments to go to trial.

Trump is accused of falsifying internal Trump Organization records as part of a scheme to bury stories that he feared could hurt his 2016 campaign, particularly as his reputation was suffering at the time from comments he had made about women.

Allegations against him focus on payoffs to two women, porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with Trump years earlier.