Donald Trump smiles as juror says he was big fan of The Apprentice as another calls him 'mysterious'

One of the people selected as a juror in Donald Trump's hush money trial said he was a big fan of The Apprentice, making the former president grin.

The first seven jurors for the case have been selected, with seven more needed, after lawyers grilled the jury pool about their social media posts, political views and personal lives, trying to find those who would be the most objective. The proceedings in the first-ever criminal trial for a current or former US President could start as early as next week.

One juror, a young corporate lawyer, said he was embarrassed to admit that he was "not super familiar with the charges" and that he did not follow the news closely. When asked about Trump's time in office, he answered: "Some things I agreed with, some things I disagreed with."

READ MORE: Donald Trump's full 'exhaustive questionnaire' for jurors in hush money trial with all 42 questions

He also said he had been a big fan of The Apprentice while at school, to which Trump smiled, while others in the court laughed, The Telegraph reports. Trump was a co-producer and host of the American reality TV program that assessed the business skills of contestants.

Another juror who was sworn in said he thought Trump was "fascinating and mysterious". The man, originally from Puerto Rico, lives on New York's Upper East Side and works in IT training and consulting and is also involved in nonprofits.

He said of Trump: "He walks into a room and he sets people off one way or another. I find that really interesting. Really, this one guy can do all of this. Wow, that’s what I think."

The juror has reportedly been married for a long time and has one child and two grandchildren. He told the court he was a juror in a civil trial before but couldn't remember the verdict. He reads the New York Daily News, The New York Times, Google, and X (Twitter) for news.

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The jury selection process unfolding in the Manhattan courtroom highlighted the challenge of finding people who can fairly judge the polarising defendant. Even so, jury selection moved quicker than expected Tuesday afternoon and is set to resume on Thursday.

During an appearance on Tuesday, Trump was asked what he thought of the jurors he had seen. He said it was “a little bit early to see," adding, "We’ll see what happens.”

Several would-be jurors told the judge they believed they could decide the case fairly, no matter their feelings about Trump or his policies as president. Trump looked on in the courtroom as potential jurors — whose names are known only to prosecutors, Trump and their legal teams — shared details of their lives and impressions of him.

The judge admonished Trump at one point after he spoke loudly and gestured while the judge questioned one woman about a social media post. “I don’t know what he was uttering, but it was audible and he was gesturing. And he was speaking in the direction of the juror,” Merchan said. "I won’t tolerate that. I will not tolerate any jurors being intimidated in this courtroom.”

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass took Trump's notoriety head-on, telling the jury pool that attorneys were not looking for people who had been “living under a rock for the past eight years.” They just needed to keep an open mind.

“This case has nothing to do with your personal politics … it’s not a referendum on the Trump presidency or a popularity contest or who you’re going to vote for in November. We don’t care. This case is about whether this man broke the law," he said.