Trump prospective juror excused after raising comparisons between ex-president and disgraced Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi

One of the potential jurors being considered for selection in the New York criminal trial of Donald Trump was excused on Thursday after noting media comparisons between the former president and disgraced Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Berlusconi, who died last year aged 86, was a successful businessman-turned-populist-politician; he was one of the most divisive figures in his home country and often the subject of ridicule on the world stage; mocked for his hairdo and cast-iron confidence, he repeatedly ran afoul of the law after becoming embroiled in sex and corruption scandals; anti-immigration and an ally of Russia’s Vladimir Putin, he had a manipulative and sometimes combative relationship with the media, and was known for his frequently outrageous and off-colour remarks; but every time he was written off by his critics he seemed to bounce back even stronger.

His name was invoked during the jury selection process in Mr Trump’s New York trial on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors allege the records were falsified to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 election to ensure her silence about an alleged affair in 2006. Mr Trump denies the affair and has pleaded not guilty.

After a group of potential jurors were selected to appear in the jury box to answer a 42-question survey, one of them, a man who was born and raised in Italy, said the case was «raising some concerns» for him.

He said the comparisons between Mr Trump and Berlusconi he had seen in Italian media would make it «hard for me to think impartially» and be fair. The judge excused him.

Berlusconi, who died in June last year, was the longest-serving Italian prime minister in the post-war