The selection of the 12 members of the jury marks the start of the first criminal trial against a former American president. Trump, who rejects the accusations, will sit on the bench starting this Monday for the six to eight weeks that the process is expected to last.

New York State laws prohibit it from being televised, but the swarm of cameras at the entrance to the court and in the hallway leading to the courtroom will give him a priceless loudspeaker in the middle of the election campaign. The voice of the candidate and that of the accused will merge into one, that of a victim of political persecution, as he has been presenting for months before public opinion and, above all, his followers. It is a critical period of the process: both the prosecution and the defense will try to detect hidden prejudices, with the help of a 42-question questionnaire. They will also be asked if they have any feelings or formed opinions about how the Republican candidate is being treated in the case, a slippery question whatever the answer.