NEW YORK: Adult film star Stormy Daniels took the witness stand on Tuesday, sharing what she claimed were vivid details of her alleged sexual encounter with former President Donald Trump in 2006.
The trial, unfolding in a New York City courtroom, has captured attention as Daniels delved into the specifics of their alleged liaison, from their meeting at a celebrity golf tournament to the moments in Trump’s Lake Tahoe hotel room, CNN reported.
In a testimony marked by a mostly casual and conversational tone, Daniels painted a picture of the encounter, describing the floors, furniture, and even the contents of Trump’s toiletry kit, according to CNN.
At one dramatic moment, she physically re-enacted Trump’s posture on his hotel bed, lifting her leg in the witness box, she said this was how Trump posed on his hotel bed for her, and stripped down to his undergarments, it added.
However, the explicit nature of some of Daniels’ testimony prompted Judge Juan Merchan to intervene, cutting her off at several points. Trump’s legal team argued that her descriptions unfairly prejudiced the jury, leading to a request for a mistrial, which the judge denied. Merchan did, however, caution that certain details from Daniels were “better left unsaid”, CNN reported.
Beyond the salacious details, Daniels also testified about Trump and his former lawyer Michael Cohen’s alleged interest in purchasing her story following the release of the infamous ‘Access Hollywood’ tape just before the 2016 presidential elections, it added.
Today’s testimony from Stormy Daniels should cause a mistrial!
After being threatened with jail by the judge’s ridiculous gag order, President Trump cleverly side steps it by just quoting the news!!
Listen!
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) May 7, 2024
The trial is set to resume on Thursday, with Trump’s attorney, Susan Necheles, poised to continue her cross-examination of Daniels. The tension between the two was palpable during the nearly 90 minutes of questioning on Tuesday afternoon.
Earlier in the day, Daniels walked the jury through the events of 2006, recounting her encounter with Trump in his hotel room, where, according to her, she slept with Trump. (Trump has denied the affair.)
She described the scene in detail, from the decor to the dinner conversation. Notably, she mentioned Trump’s interest in the business aspects of the adult film industry rather than just the sex, according to CNN.
Daniels also shared an anecdote about ‘spanking’ Trump with a copy of his magazines, according to CNN. Daniels said coming out of the bathroom, she found Trump on the bed in his undergarments, it stated, adding that she described feeling startled by his presence but emphasised that he did not behave threateningly.
“At first, I was just startled, like a jump scare. I wasn’t expecting someone to be there, especially minus a lot of clothing,” Daniels testified. She said Trump “stood up between me and the door. Not in a threatening manner. He didn’t come at me, he didn’t rush at me. Nothing like that.”
As Daniels began to describe the encounter in more explicit terms, Judge Merchan intervened, limiting the level of detail she could provide.
Following the encounter, Daniels testified that she was ‘shaking’ as she got dressed and subsequently insisted on meeting Trump in public settings. She admitted that while she disclosed meeting Trump and visiting his hotel room to many people, she confided in only a few about the sexual encounter, feeling ‘ashamed’, according to CNN.
Daniels also detailed her interactions with Trump following the encounter, including a visit to Trump Tower to discuss the reality show ‘Celebrity Apprentice’.
In 2015, as Trump began his presidential campaign, Daniels testified that her then-publicist attempted to sell her story. Interest in the story surged after the release of the ‘Access Hollywood’ tape, leading to negotiations with American Media Inc. (AMI) and ultimately Michael Cohen, who facilitated a USD 1,30,000 payment to Daniels in exchange for her silence, according to CNN.
Daniels acknowledged the use of pseudonyms in the contract agreement between her and Trump and affirmed that she abided by the nondisclosure agreement she signed with Cohen.
Under cross-examination, Daniels faced tough questions from Necheles, who accused her of harbouring animosity towards Trump. “Am I correct that you hate President Trump?” Necheles asked. “Yes,” Daniels said. “You want him to go to jail?” Necheles continued. “I want him to be held accountable,” Daniels responded.
Daniels’ body language became tense, and her tone changed noticeably as Necheles sought to undermine her credibility. She responded to many questions with brief, firm answers, adamantly rejecting Necheles’ claims that she fabricated elements of her narrative or attempted to extort Trump.
Necheles continued to press Daniels on various points, including allegations of disobeying a court order to pay Trump’s legal fees and inquiries into whether she profited from recounting her story.
“You’ve been making money by claiming to have had sex with President Trump for more than a decade”, said Necheles. “I’ve been making money by telling my story about what happened to me”, Daniels responded. “That story has made you a lot of money, right?” Necheles asked. “It’s also cost me a lot of money”, Daniels replied.
Daniels engaged in contentious exchanges with Necheles as Trump’s attorney contended that she fabricated a narrative involving a purported threat from a man in Las Vegas in 2011 and accused her of altering her account depending on financial incentives.
Towards the conclusion of Tuesday’s questioning, Necheles equated the USD 1,30,000 payment made before the 2016 election to extortion — a line of inquiry akin to that pursued by Trump’s legal team with Daniels’ attorney, Keith Davidson, according to CNN.
“You are looking to extort money from President Trump,” Necheles asked. “False,” Daniels said, raising her voice.
“That’s what you did, right?” Necheles followed up. “False,” Daniels said again, CNN reported. (ANI)