What to expect as Donald Trump’s first criminal trial gets under way

WHEN THE curtain rises on Donald Trump’s first criminal trial, in a Manhattan courtroom on April 15th, the show will be a meld of genres. The solemnity of the first prosecution of a former president, who also happens to be running again, will nod to tragedy. Really, though, this is a seedy burlesque, with a bit of farce. The case is about sex, money and blackmail. Mr Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, who will testify against him, once described the conduct at issue as the “filth and muck of politics” and, less delicately, a “shit sandwich”.

Every trial is part theatre. This one, slated to run for six to eight weeks (beginning with jury selection), will be a sell-out. Of the four indictments against Mr Trump it may also be the only one to produce a verdict before the election in November. The other, weightier charges, about alleged election interference and the mishandling of classified documents, are beset by delays.