The law finally caught up with Donald Trump, and he served his time. Trump reported for jury duty Monday at the State Supreme Court building in lower Manhattan. The Republican presidential front-runner, who was hosting helicopter rides at the Iowa State Fair over the weekend, said he was happy to take a campaign break to perform his civic duty.
Trump arrived in a limousine to face a crowd dominated by scores of cameramen and reporters. He signed a few autographs and shook some hands. "It's my duty, and I'm happy to do it," he said of his service before entering the courthouse. "I'm ready. We'll see what happens." Trump will have to wait until at least 2021 to add juror to his resume. He was released Monday afternoon without getting selected for a trial. Trump had failed to appear several times in recent years, but he won't have to dig into his personal fortune to finance the $250 fine.
Michael Cohen, special counsel to Trump, said the fine was waived when his boss checked in with the court. Cohen admitted Trump had failed to respond to previous summonses for court but said they were sent to addresses owned by the real estate titan, not his residence. They never made their way to Trump, Cohen said.
"Mr. Trump's failure to appear for previous jury requests was the result of the unified court system's error in the mailing address, and not Mr. Trump's refusal to uphold his civic duty," Cohen told The New York Times. "It is impossible to know if you are being asked to serve when the jury selection documents are sent to someone else's home." Trump was one of hundreds of people scheduled to serve Monday.
The rule is one day or, if selected for a jury, one trial. The group was assured by jury assembly supervisor Irene Laracuenta that no one would enjoy special treatment. David Hamburger, 22, was also called for jury duty Monday. "He (Trump) seemed in deep thought about his campaign," Hamburger told New York's Daily News. "He's a nice guy, a funny guy. He seemed pretty bored like the rest of us."
Putting in his time Monday won Trump a free pass from jury duty for six years. Under The Donald's timeline, that would put him in his second presidential term. Trump, who could be nominating U.S. Supreme Court justices one day, has no interest in shirking his current judicial responsibility. "I'm looking forward to it," Trump said while on the stump in New Hampshire last week. "I think it's fun."
