Close eye on Don’s spectacle

As former President Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial kicks off this week, here’s what you need to know:

What is Trump charged with?

In New York, it’s perfectly legal for private citizens to pay someone off to bury a sex scandal.

But business owners aren’t allowed to lie on company records — and that’s what Trump allegedly did throughout 2017 while trying to hide his tracks.

Trump is charged with what’s called “falsifying business records” by allegedly lying that he was reimbursing his then-fixer Michael Cohen for “legal services” when he was actually paying him back for wiring Daniels the cash.

How serious of a crime is “falsifying business records?”

Trump once joked that his supporters are so loyal that “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I still wouldn’t lose any voters.”

These alleged crimes aren’t at that level, or at the level of sexual assault, which another Manhattan jury has found Trump liable for in a civil case. But they’re still serious.

Falsifying business records in order to conceal or carry out another crime is a felony.

Each count of first-degree falsifying business records is punishable by up to four years in prison — though it’s not clear if prosecutors would ask to send Trump behind bars if he’s convicted.

Bragg says the $130,000 hush-money payment dwarfed the $2,700 cap on individual campaign donations and breached a local election law, which makes it a crime to conspire to illegally promote a candidate.

Can Trump still run for president if found guilty?

Trump could still run for and win the presidency even if he’s convicted, legal experts say.

But a guilty verdict would pose a new challenge for a self-described branding whiz who for decades has splashed his name on buildings, golf courses and even sneakers.