Dr. Phil Says Trump's Trial Jury Is Troubling for Prosecution & Defense

Donald Trump's hush money criminal trial in NYC could face an unfair playing field based on the jury -- but in terms of who it benefits, it's a crapshoot ... so says Dr. Phil.

The TV personality spoke to "TMZ Live" Friday about the 12 jurors who'll decide DT's fate -- the bios for whom have been released ... including their work backgrounds and their education. As it turns out ... this jury is full of a bunch of smart cookies.

There are two lawyers on the jury ... and Phil says that could both hurt and help Trump and co., depending on how they feel politically. Take a listen ... his analysis is kinda spot-on.

Long story short ... DP says that the problem with having two legal minds in the jury box is that the other normies might just defer to them in deliberations -- so the fact they could end up running the show and informing opinions is awfully dangerous in Phil's mind.

On the other hand, Phil says the fact these two people know the law very well could actually help Trump in the long haul ... because they won't be swayed by emotion or politics.

Of course, political affiliation and feelings on Trump are the silent backdrop of all this -- and Phil says that might ultimately be the ultimate deciding factor in this case ... regardless of what a juror does for a living, or how much they know about the law.

In other words ... it's hard to tell how this thing might cut when it's all said and done.

Phil says he knows Trump's team is hoping for a hung jury -- but it'll all depend on the evidence ... and what these New Yorkers interpret when looking at the instructions at the end.