In a highly anticipated continuation of Donald Trump’s explosive hush money trial, Stormy Daniels has returned to the witness stand on Thursday — and she is expected to be under fire right from the start.
The defense will aim to undermine the credibility of the porn actor’s steamy testimony about their alleged sexual encounter and the money she was paid to keep quiet.
Critics say that Daniels’ testimony has been contradicted in the past, and her former lawyer even accused her of committing perjury.
On Tuesday, Daniels spent hours describing an alleged unexpected sexual encounter she claims to have had with Trump in 2006, although Trump denies that they ever had sex.
A decade later, Trump’s then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels to stay silent about the alleged encounter in the final weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign.
Throughout the trial, Trump’s lawyers have sought to paint Daniels as a liar and extortionist who is trying to take down the former president after drawing money and fame from her story about him.
Daniels has forcefully denied the idea that she tried to extort Trump, even in the face of pointed questions from the defense.
Daniels’ credibility has been called into question this week. Her former lawyer, Michael Avenatti, who himself has faced legal troubles, has accused her of committing perjury. Allies of the 45th president said this casts doubt on the reliability of her testimony and raises concerns about the prosecution of Trump.
During Daniels’ testimony on Tuesday, Trump scowled and shook his head, visibly reacting to her description of their alleged sexual encounter.
At one point, the judge even told defense lawyers during a sidebar conversation that he could hear Trump “cursing audibly,” prompting him to address the issue at the bench to avoid embarrassing the former president.
The defense pushed for a mistrial over Daniels’ testimony, calling it “extremely prejudicial” that she was going into such detail over the alleged encounter.
However, the judge denied the request, partly blaming the defense for not objecting more vigorously when she was testifying to stop her from giving more detail than she should have.
While Daniels’ account is central to the prosecutors’ case, the credibility issues surrounding her testimony cannot be ignored.
The trial against Trump, who has pleaded not guilty and denies any wrongdoing, is a historic event in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election. As voters prepare to decide whether to send Trump or President Joe Biden back to the White House, the outcome of this trial — and the credibility of the witnesses — will undoubtedly play a role in shaping the upcoming vote.