Those charged included Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff, and the fake electors who acted on Mr. Trump's behalf in Arizona after the 2020 election.
The judge questioned the credibility of Donald J. Trump's defense lawyer, and a key witness told of a plan to buy and bury stories that might have harmed the candidate.
Donald J. Trump's lawyer was harshly questioned as he tried to avoid a contempt citation. And a publisher testified about how he put The National Enquirer to work for Mr. Trump's campaign.
With support from demonstrators in Lower Manhattan spotty so far, Donald Trump issued a call to "rally behind MAGA," and suggested the poor turnout was a result of a plot against his supporters.
Prosecutors signaled a sweeping case and Donald J. Trump's lawyers began their assault on witnesses' credibility. The judge seems intent on expediting the first trial of an American president.
They were distinct people who pursued different lives. "Get past this already, everybody," Lori said, "get past it and learn to know the individual person."