During the hush money trial in New York City, Stormy Daniels claims to have engaged in a sexual encounter with Donald Trump-

On May 7, 2024, in New York City's Manhattan Criminal Court, ex-U.S. President Donald Trump appears for his trial concerning allegations of concealing hush money payments. Facing 34 counts of falsifying business records, prosecutors argue this was to obscure a purported sex scandal, spanning both pre and post the 2016 presidential election. Trump marks a historic first as a former U.S. president to stand trial on criminal charges.

In Washington, adult film actress Stormy Daniels testified before a Manhattan jury on Tuesday, recounting a 2006 encounter with Donald Trump in a penthouse suite. She disclosed that Trump assured her not to fret about his wife, likened her to his daughter, and shortly thereafter, they engaged in intercourse. Journalists present in the courtroom relayed the testimony, delving into the intimate details of the interaction with the former president, who currently faces charges in New York for allegedly falsifying records related to hush-money payments to Daniels. Trump, the presumed 2024 Republican presidential nominee, refutes the encounter.

Daniels took the stand during the trial's fourth week, as prosecutors seek to demonstrate Trump's efforts to conceal a $130,000 payment to silence her during his 2016 presidential campaign. The former president confronts 34 felony charges for purportedly disguising the payments, which were reimbursed to his former lawyer Michael Cohen, as "legal expenses." Ultimately, the Trump organization compensated Cohen $420,000 to cover taxes and a bonus.

A book editor takes the stand to testify-

The trial commenced on Tuesday with a brief appearance by witness Sally Franklin, an executive and editor at Penguin Random House, the publisher of several of Trump's books, such as "Trump: How to Get Rich" and "Trump: Think Like a Billionaire."

Prosecutors guided jurors through excerpts from Trump's books, highlighting sections where he claims to personally sign all checks and meticulously track funds flowing in and out of the Trump Organization.


On Monday, the jury heard from former and current finance employees of the Trump Organization regarding payments to Cohen. Prosecutors utilized this testimony to present financial documentation, including 11 checks personally signed by Trump.


This New York case marks the first of four criminal indictments against Trump to proceed to trial. The possibility of the other cases reaching trial before the November election diminished further on Tuesday when a federal district judge in Florida indefinitely postponed the trial date for Trump's classified documents case, originally scheduled for May 20.


Money wasn't what drove me.

Stephanie Clifford, known professionally as Stormy Daniels, testified for several hours, recounting to the jury a hesitant sexual encounter with Donald Trump and subsequent public interactions with him over the following months, during which he hinted at a possible appearance for her on NBC’s “The Apprentice,” as reported by courthouse journalists.


In New York, where video or audio recording in courtrooms is prohibited, transcripts of proceedings are made available to the public.


Reporters observed Judge Juan Merchan becoming visibly frustrated with Daniels' lengthy and detailed testimony, occasionally reprimanding her and instructing her to adhere strictly to the questions. Merchan sustained objections from Trump’s legal team and sometimes interjected with his own objections.


Daniels described their initial meeting in 2006 at a Lake Tahoe golf tournament where she was promoting Wicked Pictures, an adult film company. Initially declining an invitation for dinner, Daniels later agreed to join Trump in his luxury hotel suite. She testified that Trump greeted her at the door wearing silky pajamas, prompting her to request him to change attire.


Following dinner, Daniels testified that she was taken aback when Trump undressed to his underclothes and positioned himself between her and the exit when she attempted to leave, according to courthouse reporters.


She recounted that she didn’t verbally refuse his advances, stating, “because I didn’t say anything at all.”


Daniels ceased communication with Trump in 2007 after he couldn’t secure her a spot on the NBC show.


Over the years, her account surfaced on an obscure website, and Daniels spoke of an encounter in 2011 with a man who threatened her, urging her to remain silent about the incident.


Daniels testified that interest in her story surged in October 2016 following the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape, in which Trump boasts about his ability to grope women due to his celebrity status.


“My motivation wasn’t money. It was to get the story out,” she asserted, according to courthouse reports.


Trump and Cohen approached Daniels’ publicist, Gina Rodriguez, to purchase her story, prompting Daniels to decide that remaining silent was the safest option for herself and her family.


Daniels testified that she ultimately received $96,000 out of the $130,000 payment, after deducting fees for her manager and lawyer.


An attempt to declare a mistrial.

Trump's defense attorney, Todd Blanche, motioned for a mistrial on Tuesday afternoon, contending that Daniels' testimony exceeded the scope necessary for the case. Blanche particularly objected to Daniels' emotional descriptions of the alleged affair and her assertion that Trump did not use protection.


Although Judge Merchan acknowledged that certain details might have been better left unsaid, he rejected the mistrial motion.


Later in the afternoon, Daniels faced further scrutiny from Trump's attorney, Susan Necheles, who sought to undermine her credibility by highlighting her financial gains from her story. Necheles also questioned Daniels about a 2011 incident where she claimed to have been threatened, raising doubts about the consistency of her account.


Necheles pressed Daniels on her decision to sell her story in 2016, suggesting financial motives. Daniels maintained that her aim was to share her story, denying that money was her primary motivation.


The day concluded with Judge Merchan dismissing the jury, with Trump's legal team set to continue cross-examination the following day.


In response to Daniels' testimony, Trump took to his platform, Truth Social, asserting in capital letters that the prosecution had overstepped, calling for a mistrial. This post came after an earlier one, now deleted, expressing frustration at Daniels being called as a witness unexpectedly.


Trump incurred a $1,000 fine on Monday for violating his gag order once again, this time for commenting on witnesses. This marked the tenth violation of the gag order, following previous fines issued on April 30th.


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