Megyn Kelly rips Trump's 'disgraceful' hush money trial and says breaking 250-year precedent to wield legal system against an ex-president 'humiliates America like she is a WHORE'

Megyn Kelly has slammed Donald Trump's ongoing hush money trial - describing it as 'disgraceful' and a humiliation to the United States. 

It is the first time a former American president has faced a criminal trial. Kelly said this broke a 250-year precedent and was an example of the legal system being used against an ex-president in what was a 'humiliation' of the country 'like she is a whore'.

The charges center on $130,000 in payments that Trump's company made to his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen. 

He paid that sum on Trump's behalf to keep porn actor Stormy Daniels from going public with her claims of a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier. Trump has denied the encounter ever happened. 

Prosecutors say the payments to Cohen were falsely logged as legal fees. 

Megyn Kelly blasted Donald Trump's ongoing hush money trial, calling it 'disgraceful' noting it's the first time a former US president has faced such charges

Donald Trump is seen speaking to the press at the end of the second day of jury selection in his trial over charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, in Manhattan state court in New York City

The prosecution has described the money as being part of a scheme to bury damaging stories Trump feared could help his opponent in the 2016 race, particularly as Trump's reputation was suffering at the time from comments he made about women.

Kelly said on her show: 'To me this is a sad and disgusting day… I woke up today feeling unsettled, feeling down about this case. 

'It's not that I love Trump as you guys know, I'm not a Trump lover. I'm not a sycophant. I'm not a Trump derangement person either. I'm sad for our country.

'I am sad for Trump that he's being put through this. What's he accused of doing? Paying off – yes, she's a porn star but let's just be honest about it – a lover to keep quiet about an affair. And then that writing down in the books, “I paid off a lover to keep quiet about my affair.” They've ginned up that moment into 34 felony counts.

'For that, they broke nearly 250 years of precedent and indicted a former President. It's a disgrace. It's a humiliation for us, the United States. Forget Trump. 

'Alvin Bragg, he's humiliated himself and he's brought us down with him,' Kelly said in an excoriating summary of the trial facing Trump.

'It's as if they took someone like Princess Diana and made her into a street whore. That's America, and what he's reduced us to today. But this mockery of our legal system in all of the “Get Trump” efforts, this one is the most offensive.'

The trial, part of Trump's legal challenges, is a critical moment in his political trajectory, with implications for the upcoming election and his image in the public eye. Trump is seen in the courtroom at Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday

Trump paid porn actor Stormy Daniels $130,000 to stop her going public with her claims of a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier. Trump has denied the encounter ever occurred

Kelly explained that Trump did not document the hush payment properly in his books which would normally be a felony charge however the alleged coverup  elevated the charge from a misdemeanor to a felony under New York law.

'I'm disgusted. I'm disheartened. I have very low hopes for fairness toward Trump during this trial, either by this judge who clearly can't stand him and shouldn't be trying the case at all, or by the jury who if you play the odds is going to absolutely loathe Donald Trump as 87 percent of New Yorkers do,' Kelly continued.

'He used to be loved when he was just a businessman, and full of color, and swag. Well, things change when you get political. We all know that. It's a dark day for America. Alvin Bragg ought to be ashamed of himself,' Kelly suggested. 

'And I understand what Trump is saying what he said, “I'm proud to be here.” He's got to spin it. You know, he's taking this legal bullet and testing the system because he must and also because he's, I'm sure, horrified at what's being done… This could be the thing that changes November. And if you think I'm kidding, go look at the polls.' 

The first seven jurors for Donald Trump's hush money trial were seated on Tuesday after lawyers grilled the jury pool about their social media posts, political views and personal lives to decide who can sit in fair judgment of the former president. 

Trump looked exhausted after he came out of the courtroom following a second day of jury selection

Trump stands accused of criminally altering business records to cover up a $130,000 hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election

The panelists who were selected are an information technology worker, an English teacher, an oncology nurse, a sales professional, a software engineer and two lawyers. 

Eleven more people still must be sworn in before opening statements begin on Monday.

It's a moment of reckoning for Trump, who has tried to put off his prosecutions until after the November election and casts himself as the victim of a politically motivated justice system. 

The trial puts Trump's legal problems at the center of his closely contested race against President Joe Biden. 

It's the first of Trump's four criminal cases to reach trial, and it may be the only one to return a verdict before voters decide whether to elect the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. 

The methodical process unfolding in the Manhattan courtroom highlights the challenge of finding people who can fairly judge the polarizing defendant in the city where he built his real estate empire before being elected president in 2016.

Even so, jury selection moved quicker than expected Tuesday afternoon. It was set to resume Thursday. 

On his way out of the courthouse, Trump stopped in the hallway to rail against the case to reporters, accusing Judge Juan Merchan of 'rushing' the trial. 

He has denied any wrongdoing.