Trump claims NY criminal trial is meant to hurt him in November election

Former President Trump blasted President Biden on Monday ahead of opening statements in his New York criminal trial and said he wants the American people to "understand" that his criminal trial is taking place "for the purposes of hurting the opponent of the worst president in the history of our country." 

Trump arrived in court in Manhattan Monday morning before prosecutors for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office and his defense attorneys deliver their opening statements in the trial. 

Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has been charged by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The charges are related to alleged hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. 

Trump has pleaded not guilty to all counts. He has blasted the trial as pure politics, a "political persecution" and maintains his innocence. The former president, and the first ever to be a defendant in a criminal trial, vowed to "tell the truth" if he takes the stand. 

"I just want to say before we begin — these are all Biden trials," Trump said before opening statements were delivered Monday. "This is done as election interference. Everybody knows it."