Will Trump attend every day of his Manhattan criminal trial?

Donald Trump and his lawyer, Todd Blanche

Former President Trump is required, by law, to attend his ongoing criminal trial in person with few exceptions – a potential roadblock to his ongoing 2024 presidential campaign.

According to the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, Rule 43 states that a defendant "must be present at: (1) the initial appearance, the initial arraignment, and the plea; (2) every trial stage, including jury impanelment and the return of the verdict; and (3) sentencing." The law allows few exceptions to the mandatory attendance rule.

Exceptions where the defendant is not required to be present in the courtroom include if there is an organizational defendant, if it is a misdemeanor offense, if there is a hearing on a legal question, or if there is a correction being made to a sentence - none of which currently apply to Trump’s case.

The rules also state that, in a case where "the defendant waives the right to be present, the trial may proceed to completion, including the verdict's return and sentencing, during the defendant's absence."

Trump's hush money trial is expected to last six to eight weeks, with proceedings scheduled to take place weekly on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays – leaving Wednesday and the weekends open for the former president to attend campaign events in-person if he chooses to do so.

Trump wrote on his TruthSocial platform on Monday that he "will likely not be able to attend" the high school graduation ceremony of his son, Barron Trump. While the court has not yet ruled whether Trump may be excused from court that day, the event could be one of many the former president might have to miss.

While Trump's mandatory attendance in court may cause him to miss some pre-scheduled events, it does not mean he will forego campaigning for the next several weeks, as he maintains his social media presence to engage with voters and continues his bid as the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nominee.