Stormy Daniels, the adult film actress who claims she had a sexual relationship with former President Trump in 2006, was once again at the center of a New York trial Thursday.
Daniels faced intense cross-examination before completing her testimony, which began Tuesday. She was on the stand for a total of about eight hours over the past two days. (We are closed on Wednesdays due to court proceedings.)
Daniels’ claims that she had a sexual relationship with Trump at a celebrity golf event in Lake Tahoe set off a chain of events that led to the former president’s first criminal trial.
Trump has been charged with 34 felonies for falsifying business records.
The criminal charges stem from an attempt to prevent Daniels from telling her story in the final stages of the 2016 presidential campaign.
The adult actress was paid $130,000 by Trump’s then-lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen to buy her silence.
Mr. Cohen later received a $60,000 bonus that was refunded in a series of payments from Mr. Trump and the Trump Trust.
Prosecutors allege those reimbursements were misclassified as legal expenses to keep Mr. Daniels’ story secret and hide their true purpose, which was to increase Mr. Trump’s chances of winning the election.
Mr. Trump denies having sex with Mr. Daniels, insists that the payments to Mr. Cohen were indeed legal fees, and denies any illegality.
Key takeaways from Thursday’s proceedings include:
Trump campaign is trying to completely discredit Stormy Daniels
Much of the day was spent cross-examining Daniels by Susan Necheles, the Trump campaign’s only female lawyer.
Necheres worked hard to discredit Daniels.
She suggested that Daniels gave different accounts at different times about his alleged contact with Trump in 2006. It is implied that she is motivated by a combination of her financial greed and personal enmity. And Daniels seemed to discount her belief that she would have been shocked if she had found a man in her bed after a dinner date – as she testified.
Necheres focused on Daniels’ starring and directing roles in numerous adult films. At one point, the attorney said Daniels was able to make “false stories about sex seem real.”
Daniels disagreed, stating that “the sex in the movie is very realistic.”
Ms. Necheres also sought to denounce Ms. Daniels more broadly, citing her beliefs in the supernatural.
Trump’s lawyers metaphorically raised eyebrows about Daniels’ belief in being able to communicate with the dead. There were also stories about unfounded suspicions that the house where Daniels lived was haunted. The culprit turned out to be a “giant possum that was under the house,” Daniels confirmed.
Daniels stands his ground.
Daniels pushed back against the Trump campaign throughout his testimony on Tuesday and Thursday.
She often said so in reference to the former president.
For example, Mr. Necheres drew attention to the fact that one of the ways Mr. Daniels used his Trump-related notoriety was to sell products online.
Daniels replied, “No different than Trump.”
Implicit criticism that Daniels attacked Trump on social media may also have a hard time finding traction with jurors, given Trump’s history of doing exactly the same thing.
Daniels forcefully rejected the broad strokes of Necheles’ claims that she was an untrustworthy opportunist.
She accused Trump’s lawyers of trying to “trick” her into saying things and of “putting words in my mouth.”
Judge refuses to change gag order to allow Trump to fight back against Daniels
President Trump has been greatly frustrated by his very limited ability to respond to negative or derisive stories during the trial.
Like other defendants, he cannot address the court unless he chooses to testify. In addition, a gag order prohibits attacking witnesses, court officials, lawyers, and the judge’s family.
Mr. Trump’s team on Thursday called for changes to the gag order — essentially, to allow the former president to fight back against Mr. Daniels.
Mr. Trump’s team argued that now that the adult film actress has finished testifying, she is no longer in danger of being threatened.
Judge Juan Melchan rejected that argument.
“My concern is not just to protect Mr. Daniels and the witnesses who have already testified,” he said. “My concern is to protect the integrity of these proceedings as a whole.”
Trump’s team separately requested a mistrial, arguing that some of Daniels’ testimony was unfair and prejudicial to Trump.
This request, like previous similar efforts, was rejected by Merchan.
President Trump’s tweet window
Daniels wasn’t alone Thursday. The court heard from three other witnesses: a bookkeeper at the Trump Organization, a publishing executive, and Madeline Westerhout, Trump’s former White House personal assistant.
Although none of the three made any real bombshell statements, Westerhout’s testimony provided some interesting details about the Trump White House.
In court, another Trump Organization aide gave Mr. Westerhout a list of people the then-president might want to meet with.
Also in attendance were tennis superstar Serena Williams, NFL legend Tom Brady, and members of the media including Fox News’ Sean Hannity and Bret Baier.
Westerhout also provided insight into President Trump’s posting habits on Twitter, the social platform now known as X, while in the White House. He noted that Trump’s aide Dan Scavino is authorized to post from Trump’s official account, but would typically receive approval before doing so.
Westerhout said she sometimes types up Scavino’s drafts for Trump to review.
She testified that there were certain words that President Trump liked to capitalize, noting that “he liked to use exclamation points.”
Trump’s friends and perceived enemies appear in court
The Trump trial was a spectacle from the beginning.
On Thursday, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) accompanied Trump to the courtroom and expressed support and sympathy for the former president in a morning interview on Fox News.
Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro, a vocal Trump defender, reportedly watched from an overflow room.
There were also some celebrities whose presence seemed less desirable to President Trump.
At one stage, he pointed at CNN anchor Caitlan Collins, who was present in court, according to the Associated Press.
The New York Times said he “looked in the direction” of vocal critic George Conway, who married Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway in 2016.
The couple announced in March 2023 that they were in the final stages of divorce. The Times reported that George Conway was covering the trial for The Atlantic.
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