Fact Check: Are Donald Trump's Jurors 'Open' Joe Biden Supporters?

Donald Trump's "hush money" trial has begun but not before a systematic jury selection, which aims to ensure jurors picked to judge the case are not unduly influenced by their thoughts on the former president.

Seven jurors were selected on Tuesday who will determine whether Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential election, falsified business records over payments to former adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep an alleged affair between them secret before the 2016 election.

Prosecutors led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg allege the payments were part of a scheme to stop potentially damaging stories about the Republican from becoming public. Trump has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to all 34 charges against him in the case.

Following their selection, conspiracy theorist and Trump supporter Laura Loomer said that the jurors were biased, and more specifically that they were "open" supporters of President Joe Biden.

The Claim

A post on X, formerly Twitter, by Laura Loomer, posted on April 16, 2024, viewed more than 238,000 times, said:

"Today, on day 2 of jury selection, six jurors were chosen for Trump's trial.

"Several are open Biden supporters.

"RIGGED TRIAL!"

The Facts

There is no way of knowing how any of the jurors vote, let alone if they openly support Biden.

Seven jurors have been picked so far but remain anonymous. They shared some details of their lives and their views of Donald Trump to the court.

Newsweek has published a list with what details are available. None of the information suggests much of their political opinions beyond what they thought of Trump.

One said that they considered Trump "fascinating and mysterious" while another said that the former president "speaks his mind" adding, "I'd rather that than someone who's in office who you don't know what they're thinking."

Another juror said he agreed that he had "political views as to the Trump presidency" and said it is likely he disagreed with some of the Trump administration's policies.

"I don't know the man and I don't have opinions about him personally," they added.

However, none of these descriptors suggested anything about the depth of their political opinions. Many other jurors were dismissed over concern their bias could affect proceedings.

As reported by the Associated Press, dozens of jurors were excused either because they said they could not be impartial or they had other commitments. A number were challenged by Trump's lawyers over social media posts that implied or outright showed disdain toward Trump.

The jurors indicated, and Merchan was convinced, that even if they had thoughts about Trump they were committed to ensuring a fair trial.

Loomer's claim that "several" of the jurors supported Biden neglects both that jurors were excused for lack of impartiality and the effort Trump's legal team made to filter those who previously criticized him.

We do not know the identity of the jurors and the notion that Loomer, a conspiracy theorist and staunch Trump ally with a record of sharing misinformation, would have any further information seems slim.

Newsweek has contacted a media representative for Laura Loomer for comment.

As we do not know the identity of the jurors, there is no way to verify the claim either, even though most of the information that's been shared about them does not tell us about their thoughts on Biden.

With only seven jurors sitting as of Tuesday, by definition "several" could amount to half of the panel. Based on the descriptions of the anonymized jurors and their views on politics and Trump, it doesn't seem to be the case that two or more of them are "open" Biden supporters.

So, while we cannot rate the claim false, Loomer has not provided any information that supports her claim nor does it seem likely that she possesses it.

According to a Newsweek reporter who was in the courtroom for the second day of the trial on Tuesday, Trump was reprimanded by the bench after he was seen gesturing to a potential juror. Judge Juan Merchan said Trump was clearly audible while doing so.

The judge stated that he would not tolerate attempts to intimidate witnesses. Trump attorney Todd Blanche then whispered to the former president, according to the Newsweek reporter.

While seven jurors have now been sworn in, the full jury is still being selected for the trial which is expected to last between six and eight weeks.

The Ruling

Unverified.

There is no evidence that members of the jury panel are "open" Biden supporters. While some information has been released about the seven jurors picked on Tuesday, none include inclinations toward the president. Moreover, many other potential jurors were excused from jury duty over impartiality concerns, on occasion following a challenge from Trump's lawyers.

Because the jurors who have been picked are anonymized we cannot say whether they are Biden supporters. Equally, Laura Loomer does not appear to have any information to support her conclusion either.

FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team