Before entering the courtroom Monday morning, Trump did not answer any questions from reporters but blasted the trial as “an assault on America.”

“Nothing like this has ever happened before,” Trump said. “This is political persecution, persecution like never before.”

“It’s an assault on America. And that’s why I’m very proud to be here. This is an assault on our country. And it’s a country that’s failing. It’s a country that’s run by an incompetent man who’s very much involved in this case. This is really an attack on a political opponent. That’s all it is. So I’m very honored to be here.”

Prosecutors say Trump's hush money payments were disguised to conceal separate violations of election laws, which makes the alleged crimes Class-E felonies.

Expected on the witness stand are a colorful crew from Trump’s past, including Daniels and Cohen, who flipped on Trump; McDougal, the Playboy model allegedly paid off to stay mum on her nine-month relationship with Trump; Dino Sajudin, a doorman at Trump Tower who tried to sell a story alleging Trump fathered a child out of wedlock; David Pecker, a supermarket tabloid publisher who allegedly worked with Trump to silence unfavorable stories; and several other Trumpworld characters.

The road to the trial, which is expected to last six to eight weeks, has been winding.

In the week leading up to it, Trump’s lawyers took a kitchen-sink approach to delay proceedings further, throwing three attempts at New York appeals court judges in as many days. The judges struck down all three.

Trump also faces three more criminal cases in Georgia, Washington, D.C., and Florida, although none of those are expected to reach trial by election day in November.

The trial has collided with the campaign trail as the presumed GOP nominee faces off against Joe Biden.

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(New York Daily News staff writer Dave Goldiner contributed to this story.)

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