Adult film actress Stormy Daniels provides testimony against Trump in a New York trial.
In Manhattan criminal court, on Tuesday, Judge Juan Merchan presided over proceedings as Stormy Daniels, seated at the far right, responded to questions during direct examination by assistant district attorney Susan Hoffinger. Former President Donald Trump and defense attorney Todd Blanche observed the proceedings. Merchan dismissed Trump's lawyers' request for a mistrial.
Daniels recounted details of an alleged 2006 encounter with Trump in a hotel suite and their subsequent contact until 2008. Trump has consistently denied the affair. She is one of two women the prosecution claims Trump paid off to safeguard his electoral prospects during his initial presidential campaign. Her testimony is scheduled to continue on Thursday.
During her testimony, Daniels described her first encounter with Trump at a celebrity golf tournament in 2006, sponsored by the adult film company she worked for. She recounted being invited to a private dinner by Trump, during which he suggested she join his show, "The Apprentice," a role she ultimately did not secure, and detailed the alleged sexual encounter.
Despite denying the mistrial motion, Judge Merchan acknowledged "there were things that were better left unsaid" during Daniels' testimony. He sustained several objections raised by the defense regarding unnecessary details and instructed prosecutors to advise her to provide more concise answers.
Prosecutors argued that Daniels' testimony aimed to establish her credibility and shed light on what Trump sought to suppress with a nondisclosure agreement and a $130,000 settlement orchestrated by his then-lawyer Michael Cohen.
Trump, obliged by New York criminal law to attend the trial, was present in court during Daniels' testimony, accompanied by his son Eric Trump. The former president faces 34 felony counts, alleging falsification of New York business records to conceal damaging information affecting the 2016 presidential election. Trump, maintaining his innocence, contends that the trial amounts to "election interference," disrupting his 2024 presidential campaign as he is required to be in court daily, limiting his ability to campaign. more
Daniels, known also as Stephanie Clifford, received a $130,000 payment from Cohen in 2016, alleging an affair with Trump post-marriage to Melania and the birth of Barron Trump. While Trump denied the affair initially, Cohen later admitted to the payments, leading to his guilty plea on federal charges, including campaign finance violations.
In her testimony, Daniels detailed interactions with Trump from 2006 to 2011, including receiving periodic calls from him and being seen with him in public. She recounted her agent's attempt to sell her story in 2016, prompting her to do an interview with InTouch magazine. Although the story did not run, it later surfaced online.
Daniels testified about being presented with a nondisclosure agreement in October 2016 and shared an email from Cohen outlining a settlement agreement and a side letter identifying pseudonyms for her and Trump. She also mentioned attempting to sue Trump for defamation in 2018, a lawsuit dismissed with an unsuccessful appeal in 2023, resulting in her payment of Trump's legal fees.
The trial's opening statements outlined the prosecution's intent to demonstrate how payments to Cohen were calculated and disguised for tax purposes, arguing Trump's desire to prevent damaging information from affecting the election.
The defense sought to undermine the credibility of witnesses, primarily Cohen and Daniels, emphasizing their past actions and publicity. During cross-examination, Daniels faced questions regarding her social media history, debts to Trump, and discrepancies in her recollections, including a disputed parking lot incident in 2011.
The jury heard testimony from 12 witnesses, including David Pecker, former CEO of American Media Inc., and Keith Davidson, former lawyer for women associated with Trump, who negotiated their payments. more