Jury deliberations begin in Trump's hush money trial

• Judge Juan Merchan instructed the jury to "set aside" their personal opinions about Trump as they consider the evidence in the case and to avoid speculating about Trump's possible sentence.
• "If [the] people satisfy their burden of proof you must find the defendant guilty," Merchan said, explaining that it is the prosecution's job to prove Trump's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
• Merchan also warned the jury not to convict Trump solely on the basis of the testimony of his onetime fixer Michael Cohen, because Cohen was an accomplice. However, they can use it if they feel it is corroborated by other evidence.

Zoom in: Merchan also explained that the jury must reach a unanimous verdict — whether guilty or not guilty — on each count.

• To determine whether Trump is guilty, they must reach a unanimous conclusion that Trump "conspired to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means," Merchan said.
• However, jurors don't have unanimously agree as to what the unlawful means were. They also don't need to unanimously agree whether Trump "committed the crime personally, or by acting in concert with another, or both," Merchan noted.

What they're saying: Trump spoke to reporters as jury deliberations began, blasting the charges as "rigged" and calling Merchan "conflicted" and corrupt, per a court pool report.

• "Mother Theresa could not beat these charges," Trump added.
• In a Truth Social post, Trump claimed he didn't "even know what the charges are" in the case, in which he faces 34 counts. "I am entitled to specificity just like anyone else. There is no crime!" he added.

Between the lines: Deliberations could take several days due to the complexity of the case and the number of counts.

• If the jury can't reach a unanimous decision, a mistrial will be declared.

State of play: Closing arguments concluded Tuesday after five weeks of testimony in the historic trial. Both sides recapped the evidence over the more than monthlong trial and made their final pitches to the jury.

• Trump's lawyers called Cohen the "MVP of liars." It was a last-ditch effort to call into question the credibility of his testimony, on which the prosecution's case hinges.

• The prosecution dismissed the focus on Cohen as "a deflection" and instead emphasized that "everything Mr. Trump and his cohorts did in this case was cloaked in lies."

Catch up quick: Trump, who has denied wrongdoing, was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels over an alleged sexual encounter.

• Daniels served as a star witness, describing in detail the 2006 night in question. Cohen also testified about the plan to pay Daniels to keep quiet.
• Throughout the trial, Trump was accompanied by a revolving door of allies, as his lawyers sought to win over public opinion with an unsuccessful flurry of legal requests, including denied mistrial motions.
• The former president, who did not testify despite initially claiming he would, was threatened with jail time for violating his gag order in the case.

Go deeper: Why Trump's attorneys keep filing motions that are destined to fail

Editor's note: This story has been updated with details of Merchan's instructions to the jury.