Donald Trump’s hush money trial in New York has begun to conclude as legal teams make their closing arguments. The former president has used appearances outside the courtroom to espouse misinformation-filled rants and appeal to his voter base, despite being subject to a gag order. The 77-year-old claimed that people were being “mugged and killed” outside the courthouse and that Judge Juan Merchan “loathed him”. He is charged with falsifying business records about an alleged hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election over a supposed sexual encounter.