Billionaire Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump reported for jury duty in New York on Monday in a black limousine, signing autographs and giving a fist-bump to a supporter as he took a break from the campaign trail.
Trump, the front-runner in a crowded Republican field, appeared in Manhattan Supreme Court to join fellow New Yorkers to possibly be selected to cast a verdict in a trial.
Trump was greeted by a throng of reporters and television crews numbering around 100 people. He left for a lunch through an even larger crowd, signing autographs and taking questions while walking down the courthouse steps to his limo.
Asked on his way back from lunch if he hoped to get picked, Trump said: “If it happens, it happens.”
The real estate mogul's jury service came after a state judge earlier this year fined him $250 for failing to respond to summonses to serve jury duty five times since 2006.
Trump's representatives say the fine was ultimately waived and say the prior summonses had been sent to a wrong address for the former star of NBC's “The Apprentice.”
His jury service on Monday drew at least one protester, Bill Johnsen of Staten Island, who contended that Trump was only reporting for duty this time as a public relations stunt.
“If he wanted to disregard the notice, I'm sure he could do something,” Johnsen said.
Michael Cohen, an executive vice president and special counsel to the Trump Organization, said if Trump had received the prior notices he would have complied.
“Any assertion that Mr. Trump doesn't take his civic responsibilities seriously is absolutely false and only being used as an attempt to discredit his stellar reputation,” he said in a statement.
Trump, for his part, said: “People are surprised that I agreed to do this. I'm not surprised.”
Trump, 69, sat in the jury room with some of the 172 potential jurors who came Monday to possibly serve on trials in civil lawsuits.
With the presidential candidate in a front-row seat, a jury supervisor, Irene Laracuenta, reminded those in attendance of their responsibilities, noting “everyone has some other place they want to be.”
During a break, Trump made phone calls in a hallway away from reporters and other jurors, guarded by two officers.
“Everyone has a right to their own privacy,” Dennis Quirk, president of the New York State Court Officers Association, told reporters.
As the break finished, Trump took a selfie with a lawyer and autographed a court artist's sketch. Going back into the jury room, he waved as someone shouted: “Mr. Trump, save this country, will you?”
Back in the jury room, Trump followed the pattern other fellow potential jurors, crossed his arms across his chest and appeared to doze off for several minutes.
His service is expected to last one day unless he is picked for a trial.
