So, in the ongoing hush money case against Donald Trump, things got pretty intense as porn actor Stormy Daniels took the witness stand on Tuesday. Trump was right there, listening in as she spilled the beans about their alleged sexual encounter and the money she received to keep it under wraps.
The prosecutors claim that Trump paid Daniels to keep quiet about their affair while he was running for president back in 2016. And boy, did Daniels spill all the details, putting everything out in the open while Trump aims for another shot at the White House.
Trump’s team, however, maintains that he never had any sexual relations with Daniels, and they even tried to call for a mistrial during her testimony. But no luck there.
This trial is a big deal – it’s the first time a former American president is facing a criminal trial, and it’s been going on for three weeks now in Manhattan. The drama just keeps unfolding.
Here are some takeaways from Daniels’ testimony:
WHO IS STORMY DANIELS?
The case centers on a $130,000 payment to Daniels from Trump’s then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, in the final weeks of Trump’s 2016 campaign. Prosecutors say it was part of a scheme to illegally influence the campaign by burying negative stories about him.
Trump’s lawyers are working hard to paint a different picture. They’re arguing that Trump wasn’t trying to protect his presidential campaign, but rather his personal reputation and family from any embarrassing stories about his personal life.
Meanwhile, Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, shared her side of the story with the jurors. She revealed that she started her career in exotic dancing during high school and later transitioned into adult films at the age of 23. Over the years, she directed over 150 films and even bagged some awards in the porn industry.
According to Daniels’ testimony, she first crossed paths with Trump at a celebrity golf event in Lake Tahoe back in 2006. Her studio was sponsoring the event. Trump apparently took a liking to her, calling her “the smart one” and inviting her to dinner. Daniels agreed, mainly to avoid dining with her colleagues and hoping it might boost her career. Trump even had his bodyguard fetch her number. Quite the introduction, huh?
When they met up later in his penthouse, she appreciated that he seemed interested in the business aspects of the industry rather than the “sexy stuff.” He also suggested putting her on his TV show, “The Apprentice,” a possibility she hoped could help establish her as a writer and director.
She left to use the bathroom and was startled to find Trump in his underwear when she returned, she said. She didn’t feel physically or verbally threatened but realized that he was “bigger and blocking the way,” she testified.
“The next thing I know was: I was on the bed,” and they were having sex, Daniels recalled. The encounter was brief but left her “shaking,” she said. “I just wanted to leave,” she testified.
PAYMENTS FOR SILENCE
When asked if Trump had ever instructed her to keep their interactions confidential, Daniels responded with a firm “Absolutely not.” She went on to explain that in 2011, she found out that a magazine had caught wind of their encounter. In a bid to make some cash and have some control over how the story was told, she agreed to do an interview for $15,000. However, the article was never published.
In 2016, when Trump was running for president, Daniels said she authorized her manager to shop the story around but did not initially receive interest from news outlets. She said that changed in October with the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape in which Trump bragged about grabbing women sexually without asking permission. She said she learned that Cohen wanted to buy her silence.
MISTRIAL PUSH
During Stormy Daniels’ testimony, Trump’s lawyers made a bold move and asked for a mistrial. They argued that Daniels’ detailed accounts of her alleged encounter with Trump and their subsequent meetings were irrelevant to the case and could unfairly sway the jury against Trump.
Defense lawyer Todd Blanche claimed that Daniels’ testimony had strayed too far from the case’s core issues and could prejudice the jury. However, the judge wasn’t buying it. He shot down the mistrial motion and even criticized Trump’s legal team for not objecting earlier during Daniels’ testimony.
Before Daniels took the stand, Trump’s lawyers had already tried to prevent her from discussing the encounter’s specifics, arguing that it wasn’t relevant to a case centered on financial records. But the prosecutors countered, saying that Daniels’ testimony was crucial in revealing what Trump was trying to hide. They assured the judge that they wouldn’t delve into overly graphic details.
Although the judge didn’t side with Trump’s lawyers, he did acknowledge that some of the details were excessive. These objections could potentially come into play if Trump is convicted and his lawyers decide to file an appeal.
CROSS-EXAMINATION
Trump’s lawyers tried to attack Daniels’ credibility, suggesting she was motivated by money and that her account has shifted over the years.
“Am I correct that you hate President Trump?” Defense lawyer Susan Necheles asked Daniels at one point. Daniels acknowledged she did.
“And you want him to go to jail?” the lawyer asked.
“I want him to be held accountable,” Daniels said. Pressed again whether that meant going to jail, she said, “If he’s convicted.”
The defense pressed Daniels on the fact that she owes Trump hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees stemming from an unsuccessful defamation lawsuit and on a 2022 tweet in which she said she “will go to jail before I pay a penny.” Daniels dug in at times in the face of pointed questions, forcefully denying the idea that she had tried to extort Trump.
TRUMP IN COURT
During Stormy Daniels’ testimony, Trump was visibly uncomfortable, whispering frequently to his attorney and appearing pained at certain points, especially when Daniels recounted details about their alleged dinner together. Trump shook his head and seemed to mutter something under his breath when Daniels mentioned that he told her he didn’t sleep in the same room as his wife.
At one juncture, the judge had to address Trump’s behavior during a sidebar conversation with his defense lawyers. He mentioned that he could hear Trump audibly cursing and observed him shaking his head. The judge expressed his concern and warned Trump’s lawyer to address the issue with his client, stating that such behavior wouldn’t be tolerated in the courtroom.
After the proceedings, Trump briefly spoke to reporters outside the courthouse, describing the day as “very revealing.” He didn’t directly address Daniels’ testimony but asserted that the prosecutors’ case was “totally falling apart.”
A JARRING SPLIT SCREEN
Trump’s appearance in court Tuesday, like all other days he’s stuck in the courtroom, means he can’t be out on the campaign trail as he runs for president a third time. It’s a frequent source of his complaints, but Daniels’ testimony in particular might underscore how much of a distraction the trial is from the business of running for president.
While Trump was stuck in a Manhattan courthouse away from voters and unable to speak for much of the day, his rival, Democratic President Joe Biden, was attending a Holocaust remembrance ceremony and condemning antisemitism.
It’s an issue Trump has sought to use against Biden in the campaign by seizing on the protests at college campuses over the Israel-Hamas war.
As of my last update in January 2022, Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, including the United States, the European Union, Israel, and others.
