The prosecution in Donald Trump’s trial has insisted that the former President “orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election” in his efforts to cover up an alleged affair with the adult film star, Stormy Daniels.

The prosecution said this on Monday in its opening statement in Trump’s criminal trial.

However, the defense countered that “there’s nothing wrong with trying to influence an election – it’s called democracy”.

Apart from hearing the opening statements from both sides, the trial also briefly heard from its first witness, David Pecker.

Pecker was the former publisher of the National Enquirer, a central figure in Trump’s alleged crimes.

A jury of seven men and five women living in Manhattan will weigh whether Trump’s alleged efforts to conceal an affair with Daniels, which he feared would damage his bid for the White House, were illicit.

The former President was dragged to court with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the early 2023.