Trump says he would 'absolutely' testify in his New York criminal trial

PALM BEACH, Fla. — Former President Donald Trump told reporters Friday he would "absolutely" testify in his upcoming hush money trial that is set to begin on Monday.

"Yeah, I would testify, absolutely," he said in response to a question from NBC News.

Trump, who is charged with 34 counts of first-degree falsifying business records, repeatedly called the trial a "scam" during his press conference at Mar-a-Lago.

Jury selection in the trial, which is expected to last six to eight weeks, begins Monday.

"I'm testifying. I tell the truth, I mean, all I can do is tell the truth. And the truth is that there is no case," Trump said.

Trump is not required to testify in his own criminal trial. If he chooses to do so, he would be subject to cross-examination by the prosecution, when he could be quizzed on myriad topics while under oath — including the nature of his relationship with porn star Stormy Daniels.During the damages trial in the E. Jean Carroll civil case, Trump opted to take the stand, but the judge in that case greatly limited what he was permitted to say.

On Friday, the judge in the case denied Trump's bid to delay the trial on the grounds of too much pretrial publicity.

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Trump is the first former president to stand trial in a criminal case. He is required to be in court every day the court is in session to participate in his defense, which will significantly restrict the amount of time he can spend campaigning for president.Trump held his press conference Friday with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., where they announced their support for legislation that would prevent noncitizens from voting — a practice that is already illegal, and incredibly rare.