In a pivotal moment of the historic New York trial against former President Donald Trump, Stormy Daniels took the witness stand on Tuesday, becoming the highest profile person to testify thus far. The trial revolves around 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to an alleged hush money payment made to Daniels, an adult film star who claims to have had an affair with Trump.
Defence lawyer Susan Necheles began the day’s proceedings by requesting that Daniels be prohibited from discussing explicit details of her alleged affair with Trump. While the prosecution agreed to avoid explicit descriptions, they argued that certain specifics about the relationship were necessary to establish credibility. Judge Juan Merchan allowed limited details to be presented, acknowledging the potential credibility issues.
Before Daniels testified, the prosecution called Sally Franklin from Penguin Random House to read excerpts from Trump’s books, highlighting his approach to business transactions and interpersonal conflict resolution.
When Daniels finally took the stand, she recounted her upbringing in Louisiana and her entry into the adult film industry. She then delved into her relationship with Trump, which began in 2006 when they met at a celebrity golf tournament in Nevada. Daniels described how Trump invited her to dinner at his penthouse, where he suggested she could appear on his reality TV show, The Apprentice. However, upon returning from the restroom, Daniels found Trump partially undressed on the bed, leading to a sexual encounter that left her wanting to leave.
Daniels emphasized the power imbalance between her and Trump and her hope that he would fulfill his promise to feature her on The Apprentice. When it became clear that the opportunity would not materialize, Daniels revealed that in 2011, a website offered her $15,000 for an interview about her alleged affair. She accepted the offer to regain control of the narrative but later faced threats to remain silent.
The situation changed in 2016 when Trump’s infamous “grabbing” women’s genitalia audio recording surfaced during his presidential campaign. Daniels discovered that Trump’s then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, was willing to buy her silence for $130,000. She testified that she did not negotiate the amount, as her primary concern was to resolve the matter discreetly.
After a lunch break, Trump’s defence team sought a mistrial, arguing that Daniels’s testimony had irreparably prejudiced the jury and embarrassed their client. Judge Merchan acknowledged that some statements could have been left unsaid but urged the defence to voice objections promptly. Ultimately, he denied the mistrial request, allowing the trial to proceed.
