Jurors in Donald Trump's hush money trial have finished their first day of closed-door deliberations without reaching a verdict that will decide the fate of the only US president to be charged with a crime.
The 12 jurors and six alternates are due to return to the New York courthouse at 9:30ET (2:30pm Irish time) tomorrow to weigh evidence and witness testimony they have seen and heard over the five weeks of trial.
It was unclear when they might reach a verdict.
Mr Trump, 77, is charged with falsifying business documents to cover up a $130,000 (€120,000) payment just before the 2016 presidential election to silence adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who alleged they had a sexual encounter.
Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies a liaison with her.
He left the courtroom pumping the air with his fist and ignoring reporters' questions.
Late in the day, jurors asked Justice Juan Merchan for transcripts of testimony by two witnesses: former Trump fixer Michael Cohen, who testified that Mr Trump was aware of the payoff and worked to cover it up, and former National Enquirer tabloid publisher David Pecker, who testified about his efforts to bury stories that might have hurt Mr Trump's candidacy.
They also told Mr Merchan they wanted him to repeat the detailed instructions he had given them earlier in the day to guide their deliberations.
It was unclear whether jurors wanted to hear all of those instructions again or just a portion.
Any verdict requires unanimous agreement by all 12 jurors.
The judge will declare a mistrial if they are unable to resolve their differences.
Mr Trump, a Republican, has cast the trial as an attempt to undercut his bid to take back the White House from Democratic President Joe Biden in the 5 November election.
"Mother Teresa could not beat these charges," Mr Trump told reporters outside the courtroom, referring to the late Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
"The whole thing is rigged."
Mr Merchan told jurors to apply extra scrutiny to the testimony of Cohen because he was an accomplice to the payments at the heart of the case.
Cohen was Mr Trump's fixer and private lawyer for about a decade until they had a falling out.
Cohen testified that he paid the $130,000 out of his own pocket to prevent Ms Daniels from telling voters about the alleged sexual encounter with Mr Trump that she says took place 10 years before the 2016 election.
Cohen testified that Mr Trump approved the payoff and agreed after the election to a plan to reimburse Cohen through monthly installments disguised as legal fees.
Mr Trump's lawyers have argued that jurors cannot rely on Cohen, a convicted felon with a long track record of lying, to tell the truth.
"He is literally the greatest liar of all time," Mr Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche told jurors yesterday.
Prosecutors said voice messages, emails and other evidence back up Cohen's testimony.
Prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office must prove Mr Trump's guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt," the standard under US law.
They said the Daniels payment could have contributed to Mr Trump's 2016 victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton by keeping an unflattering story out of the public eye.
A conviction will not prevent Mr Trump, from trying to takeback the White House.
Nor will it prevent him from taking office if he wins.
Opinion polls show Mr Trump and Mr Biden locked in a tight race.
But Reuters/Ipsos polling has found that a guilty verdict could cost Mr Trump support among independent and some Republican voters.
Mr Trump faces up to four years in prison if found guilty, but those found guilty of the crime he is charged with are more often fined or given probation.
A verdict of not guilty would remove a major legal barrier, freeing Mr Trump from the obligation to juggle court appearances and campaign stops.
If convicted, he would be expected to appeal.
Mr Trump faces three other criminal prosecutions, but they are not expected to go to trial before the November election.
Mr Biden's campaign officials say any verdict will not substantially change the dynamics of the election.
