When Donald Trump sits at the defence table in the wood-panelled Manhattan courtroom over the next several weeks, he will be joined by a cast of characters who could have been drawn from the call sheet of a Hollywood blockbuster. Opening statements in the first criminal trial of a former US president are expected on Monday.

There are a slate of intriguing potential witnesses who could be called to testify, including an adult film actress, a fixer-turned-star-witness, a loyal money-man convicted of tax fraud, a tabloid newspaper publisher and others.

A white-collar defence lawyer who has bet his career on defending Mr Trump is leading the former president’s defence team. Meanwhile, Manhattan’s first black district attorney has assembled a crack team of Manhattan prosecutors who are very familiar with Mr Trump and his organisation.

And the entire case is overseen by a seasoned New York Supreme Court judge who is well aware of Mr Trump’s courtroom troubles and behaviour.

Mr Trump faces 34 charges of falsifying business records to disguise a hush-money payment to a woman with whom he allegedly had an affair. He has pleaded not guilty and denies having the affair. Below are the central players to know in the historic case.

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