Donald Trump was present in a US courtroom on Monday facing criminal trial – the first for a US ex-president.
Charges involve hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016.
Daniels claims she accepted $130,000 from Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen before the 2016 elections to not disclose details about an affair with him.
Trump was charged with 34 counts of alleged falsification of business records to make payments to Daniels.
A presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee, Trump was denied recusal by Judge Juan Merchn as the trial began on Monday.
Trump was using “inferences, innuendos and unsupported speculation to” to make claims for recusal, the Judge said, denying the motion, CNN reported.
Trump has pleaded not guilty and has denied the affairs.
Merchan also refused the request of prosecutors to play the "Access Hollywood" tapes, in which Trump had allegedly made derogatory remarks aginst women.
However, he upheld a decision to allow the transcript of a tape.
The prosecutors’ request to include various sexual assault allegations against Trump was also struck down, with Merchan calling them rumours.
This is one of four criminal cases Trump faces, the only case to face a jury before the election.
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