The testimony of Stormy Daniels in a Manhattan courtroom recounted her 2006 encounter with Donald J. Trump and the subsequent hush-money cover-up that is central to the prosecution’s case against the former president. Despite some uncomfortable moments during her five-hour testimony, the judge denied a mistrial motion brought by Mr. Trump’s lawyer. The charges against Mr. Trump involve falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to Ms. Daniels, whom he denies having had sex with. If convicted, he could face prison time or probation.
The jurors in the trial heard a vivid account of Ms. Daniels’s encounter with Mr. Trump at a celebrity golf tournament near Lake Tahoe and met the woman who received the hush-money deal. Ms. Daniels described a consensual but imbalanced sexual encounter with Mr. Trump in his hotel suite, during which they discussed various topics, including his family, wife, and potential appearance on “The Apprentice.” Prosecutors took a risk with Ms. Daniels as a witness, depending on how the jury perceived her testimony.
Justice Merchan, the judge overseeing the trial, criticized Mr. Trump for his behavior in court, including cursing audibly and shaking his head, which could potentially intimidate the witness, Ms. Daniels. The motive behind the hush-money payment to Ms. Daniels is a point of contention, with prosecutors questioning her denial of the sexual encounter in a 2018 statement and defense lawyers implying she was trying to extort money from Mr. Trump. The former president’s frustration with Ms. Daniels was evident in a social media post before court proceedings.
Ms. Daniels’s credibility as a witness is a hurdle for prosecutors, with the defense focusing on her motivations and alleged desire to profit from claiming to have had sex with Mr. Trump. She maintained that her goal was for him to be held accountable and denied any intention to extort money from him. Prosecutors have tried to use Mr. Trump’s prior statements against him, including passages from his books about revenge, which may further complicate his defense. The cross-examination of Ms. Daniels will continue in the trial, with her testimony being a key component in the case against Mr. Trump.
