Former US President Donald Trump is accused of trying to cover up a US$130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before he won the 2016 election.
US prosecutors have labelled a hush money payment by former President Donald Trump as election fraud, in the historic New York trial.
But the former president's lawyer says his client did not commit any crimes, adding that he is cloaked in innocence.
Mr. Trump is accused of trying to cover up a US$130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before he won the 2016 election.
He has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and also denies having a sexual encounter with Daniels.
In opening statements, the lead prosecutor urged the jury to avoid sideshows.
But the defence argued that Mr. Trump had no personal involvement in the payments - and that it's not illegal to try to influence an election.
The trial is expected to take six to eight weeks.
The hearing is the first of four ongoing criminal cases that are expected to head to trial for the presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee.
The prosecutors said the case is about a "criminal conspiracy and a cover-up," as the defence tried to discredit their points.
The first witness David Pecker, the ex-publisher of the National Enquirer, will resume testimony Tuesday after briefly taking the stand on Monday.
Mr. Pecker was a central player in the alleged hush money scheme to suppress negative information about Trump before the 2016 election.
The judge ruled Monday that he will allow Trump to be asked about the civil fraud and the E. Jean Carroll verdicts, among other past cases, if he testifies.
Additionally, the judge said a hearing over whether Trump violated the gag order is set for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.
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