On Tuesday, adult film star Stormy Daniels took the stand in the historic hush money trial of former U.S. President Donald Trump in a New York courtroom.
The in-person showdown between Trump and Daniels, who alleges they had a romantic liaison nearly two decades ago, was a highly anticipated moment in the trial.
Donald Trump shook his head and muttered as Stormy Daniels told her side of the story about an encounter they had nearly two decades ago.
It was a story Daniels has told before. But now that she was under oath, critics said this time was different.
Daniels’ former lawyer, the disgraced Michael Avenatti, said she committed perjury.
Take a look —
Avenatti wants Alvin Bragg to arrest Stormy Daniels for perjury. https://t.co/NNgjFAobWp
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) May 7, 2024
Daniels’ controversial testimony had been anticipated since Trump was put under indictment, but the timing of her testimony remained uncertain until Tuesday morning.
After a publishing executive took the witness stand to read passages from Trump’s business books, Assistant District Attorney Susan Hoffinger called Daniels to testify.
Daniels strode to the witness box, not looking at Trump, who stared straight ahead until she had passed his spot at the defense table. When asked to identify Trump in the courtroom, Daniels pointed toward him and described his navy suit coat and gold tie.
As she testified, Daniels spoke rapidly, prompting requests for her to slow down so the court stenographer could keep pace.
Jurors appeared attentive as Daniels recounted her path from aspiring veterinary student to porn actor and the alleged evening with Trump at a hotel suite in Lake Tahoe in 2006.
Trump, who denies Daniels’ claims and has pleaded not guilty to charges of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 payment to keep her quiet, shook his head and muttered as Daniels described their alleged encounter.
Judge Juan M. Merchan asked Trump’s lawyers to stop him from cursing audibly, warning that it could be seen as contemptuous and intimidating to the witness and jury.
During a blistering cross-examination, Daniels denied defense lawyer Susan Necheles’ suggestion that she had tried to extort Trump.
“Am I correct that you hate President Trump?” Necheles asked.
“Yes,” Daniels replied.
“And you want him to go to jail, right?” Necheles said.
“I want him to be held responsible,” Daniels shot back.
Daniels left the witness stand just before 4:30 p.m., and the court adjourned until Thursday.
Outside the courtroom, Trump told journalists, “This was a very revealing day in court. Any honest reporter would say that.”
However, he is limited by a court gag order from saying anything more about Daniels to the media.
The historic trial, the first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. commander-in-chief, has drawn intense media attention, with dozens of reporters and public observers packing the courtroom gallery.
The Stormy Daniels testimony marks a pivotal moment in the historic criminal proceedings, which Trump has repeatedly dismissed as a “witch hunt” and an attack on his First Amendment rights.