Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Todd Blanche references that Donald Trump's children, Don Jr and Eric, signed off on vouchers Michael Cohen submitted for the cheques at the heart of this case.

He claims that if Trump, Cohen and former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg were involved in a larger conspiracy to reimburse the hush-money, they wouldn't have sought Don Jr and Eric's sign off.

Don Jr and Eric Trump are nodding in the first row of the courtroom as Blanche gives this argument.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Defence lawyer Todd Blanche is trying to put even the smallest shred of doubt in jurors’ minds.

He keeps noting that prosecutors have to prove “beyond a reasonable doubt” that Donald Trump is guilty.

It’s a high burden of proof that all jurors will need to agree that prosecutors met for them to secure a conviction.

Blanche is touching on a series of issues to try to cast doubt on the case, including Cohen’s testimony.

“There’s a reason why in life usually the simplest answer is the right one,” Blanche says.

“That’s certainly the case here. The story that Mr Cohen told you on the witness stand is not true.”

Defence team weaves its narrativepublished at 15:11 British Summer Time 28 May

15:11 BST 28 May

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

For a few weeks now, legal experts have told me that Trump's team has not provided a compelling counter narrative to the prosecution's case - that Donald Trump oversaw a plan to reimburse Cohen for his pay-out to Stormy Daniels, and then tried to hide the records as legal expenses.

Now, six weeks into the trial, Blanche is formulating that counter-narrative.

Blanche posits that Cohen was actually just Trump's lawyer at the time, and the payments were all above board.

Cohen, he says, was being paid $35,000 a month by Trump “to be his attorney in 2017”.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

So far, Todd Blanche's summation has been mostly about one man: Michael Cohen.

We hear him repeat a phrase that he used against Cohen himself in cross-examination: “That. Was. A. Lie.”

Blanche is trying to make an argument that the documents weren't fraudulently recorded as legal expenses, because Cohen was in fact Trump's lawyer at the time.

"Cohen lied to you," about how much legal work he was doing for Trump in 2017, Blanche alleges.

He points out that Cohen lobbied to be Trump's personal lawyer while he was in the White House.

Cohen has testified that he was mainly being reimbursed for his hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Defence lawyer Todd Blanche is animated this morning.

He gestures toward his presentation, which highlights specific quotes in Michael Cohen's emails.

Blanche is looking right at jurors as he gives his arguments, his voice sometimes growing louder or quieter.

He's now turned to testimony from Stormy Daniels' former lawyer, Keith Davidson.

We're starting to hear objections from prosecutors too, some of which are sustained by the judge.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Todd Blanche has brought a slideshow to help illustrate his points.

He pulls up evidence we've seen already, to drive home his point that there's nothing suspicious about the way the reimbursements to Michael Cohen were filed.

He displays the invoices Cohen sent, showing they were never sent to Trump himself - distancing the former president from documents that generated some of the charges.

Blanche argues that Cohen was doing legal work for Donald Trump, as his lawyer.

"Cohen lied to you," about how much legal work he was doing for Trump in 2017, Blanche alleges.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Todd Blanche continues to push his argument that Donald Trump is innocent.

He says Trump did nothing to falsify business records.

"The proof there doesn’t add up," he says.

He continues to come back to prosecutors’ star witness, Michael Cohen.

“You’re going to hear me talk a lot about Michael Cohen today and that should not surprise you,” Blanche says.

He says Trump should not be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt “on the words of Michael Cohen”.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Todd Blanche begins by telling the jury that "President Trump is innocent”.

“The district attorney has not met their burden of proof, period,” he says.

Blanche then begins a two-pronged argument.

"This case is about documents," he says, adding that it's not about Stormy Daniels or the hush money she was paid.

Rather, he says, it's about the business records at the heart of the case - which he argues were not falsified.

"The booking was accurate, and there was absolutely no intent to defraud."

Then, as expected, Blanche tries to discredit some of the key witnesses in the case, including Daniels, her former lawyer Keith Davidson, and Trump's ex-lawyer Michael Cohen.

He said Cohen's testimony contained "lies, pure and simple” and the jury could not convict Trump based on Cohen's word.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

This is, perhaps, one of the most important parts of the trial.

It’s a chance for prosecutors and Donald Trump’s lawyers to make their final pitches to the jurors before they’re sent off to decide Trump’s legal fate.

Prosecutors have their work cut out for them. They will seek to persuade jurors that Trump falsified business records with the larger goal of unlawfully influencing the 2016 election.

"Essentially they have to connect these payments to a motive that links them to a campaign," former New York Supreme Court justice Diane Kiesel tells me.

“This requires a summation of a lifetime, because you really have to connect these dots."

We may hear from prosecutors about other crimes that they allege Trump was trying to cover up: violation of election and tax laws.

Trump’s lawyers, meanwhile, will likely hammer home the points they have made during the trial - that the prosecutors’ key witness, Michael Cohen, is unreliable. And that prosecutors have not proved Trump was involved in some larger conspiracy to conceal another crime.

These arguments will take up the whole day.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Defence lawyer Todd Blanche is at the podium and we are underway.

He starts his closing argument by thanking the jurors for spending many days in court.

"Each of you will decide at the end of the case whether President Trump is guilty or not guilty," he tells the 12-member panel.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Justice Juan Merchan now begins his first set of instructions to the jury, before they hear summations from the lawyers.

He is reading from a standard set of instructions that New York Supreme Court judges use in criminal trials.

"You are the finders of fact," he says solemnly.

"And it is for you and you alone to determine the facts from the evidence that you find to be truthful and accurate."

Jurors are listening intently. They look relaxed after their four-day weekend.

All are looking at Justice Merchan as he instructs them. A couple are nodding along.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump is seated at the defence table.

Behind him, we have more family members than we've seen together at any point during this trial.

Tiffany Trump is seated closest to the aisle - something of a seat of honour that's usually held by Eric or a VIP.

Lara and Eric Trump, and Don Jr, are next to her.

Commentators had noticed a lack of family members attending early in the trial, but as more significant witnesses like Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen showed up, so did Trump's circle of support.

His wife, Melania, has not attended any days, however.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Court has just begun.

Justice Juan Merchan says he finalised the charging document on Thursday with no complaints from either side.

Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche says his closing arguments will last two-and-a-half hours.

Prosecutors say four or four-and-a-half hours.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Donald Trump has just walked into court today carrying some papers in his hand. He is followed by his children, Don Jr, Eric and Tiffany Trump.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is also here, taking his seat in the second row of the courtroom.

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump is speaking to the media outside the courtroom, as he has done most days of this trial.

In a barricaded area behind him, several members of his family stand and watch.

Trump holds a stack of papers and reads statements from various supporters who have criticised his trial.

He then hits out at his gag order, saying "no president has not been allowed to speak".

"This is a dark day in America," Trump says.

Image source, Getty Images

Former US President Donald Trump has arrived at the Manhattan courthouse ahead of closing arguments in his historic criminal trial.

We are expecting Trump to speak to media before he walks into the courtroom.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Prosecutors have just walked into court today with a seemingly larger entourage than usual. The defence will be the first to give closing arguments, the prosecution will go second.

We are still yet to see Donald Trump.

When he does arrive at court, we are expecting him to speak to media. You will be able to watch that moment by pressing the play button at the top of this page.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Donald Trump will have his largest family showing in court today.

According to his campaign, his children, Donald Trump Jr, Tiffany Trump, Eric Trump and wife Lara Trump - the co-chair of the Republican National Committee - will all be in attendance today.

Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump have already attended several days of the trial, but this is the first time Trump’s daughter Tiffany has appeared.

We have still not seen Trump’s wife Melania in court for the case.

Other supporters of the former president in court today include Tiffany Trump’s husband Michael Boulos and investor Steve Witkoff.

Trump’s trial has seen a cast of Republican politicians in New York court to show support for the presidential hopeful.

In the video above, New York correspondent Nada Tawfik takes us through some of the key evidence seen in Donald Trump's hush-money trial.

The prosecutors and defence will be bringing up these items throughout today, as they try to convince the jury during their closing arguments.

Brandon Livesay
Reporting from New York

Image source, Getty Images

Just before the trial began, Donald Trump told media he would “absolutely” take the stand. Then, on the final day of witness testimonies, reporters shouted out in the court hallway - would he still testify?

He did not.

Legal experts had long been dubious that he ever would. It’s up to the prosecution to prove their case, not the defendant.

If the former president did take the stand, it would have opened himself up to cross-examination by the prosecutors. They could have asked all kinds of questions that had the potential to damage Trump’s legal case, and also his political campaign.

White collar criminal defence lawyer Seth Waxman told me that defendants in criminal cases - in “normal circumstances” - are not likely to testify.

He says if Trump did take the stand, his history of “alleged lies” and “improper conduct” could open Trump up to new lines of attack from the prosecution.

“Things that the judge may have properly kept out at the beginning of the trial could suddenly now be triggered and be deemed admissible and fair game,” Waxman said.