Donald Trump reports for jury duty in Manhattan but not selected as juror for trial

After failing to attend several summonses for jury duty, Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump finally reported for duty on 17 August at the State Supreme Court in lower Manhattan. Trump arrived to the courthouse in style, driving in a limousine to a crowd of spectators, reporters and cameramen, USA Today reported.

Trump told reporters he was happy to perform his civic duty, while taking a break from his campaign for the GOP nomination. "It's my duty, and I'm happy to do it," the real estate mogul told reporters before entering the courthouse. "I'm ready. We'll see what happens."

According to USA Today, Trump was not selected as a juror for a trial and won't be called again until at least 2021.

Michael Cohen, special counsel to the presidential candidate, admitted Trump had failed to appear to previous court summonses for jury duty but insisted they had been sent to addresses owned by Trump, instead of his residence. Cohen told reporters that the $250 fine for missing jury duty was waived when Trump checked in with the court on 17 August.

"Mr Trump's failure to appear for previous jury requests was the result of the unified court system's error in the mailing address, and not Mr Trump's refusal to uphold his civic duty," he told The New York Times. "It is impossible to know if you are being asked to serve when the jury selection documents are sent to someone else's home."

Fellow jury duty attendee, 22-year-old David Hamburger told New York Daily News that Trump "seemed in deep thought about his campaign". Hamburger added, "He's a nice guy, a funny guy. He seemed pretty bored like the rest of us."

Another prospective female juror told FoxNews.com, "I thought, 'wow is that really him?'...But he's a nice-looking guy."

According to Fox News, the candidate appeared to enjoy himself after returning from the lunch break. Trump was seen kissing babies, signing autographs and taking selfies with fans. He also tweeted that he'd been listening to conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, adding, "Fantastic show, terrific guy!"

Trump, who was not selected, won't be called back for jury duty for six years. Fox News reported that jury assembly supervisor Irene Laracuenta told potential jurors that they would either be committed to one day or one civil trial, if they were chosen. "No one—no one—gets special treatment," Laracuenta said.

Despite not being chosen, he told FoxNews.com that he enjoyed the experience. "I've found it very professionally done, I've met some fantastic people and it's been a really good experience," he said.