Adult film actress Stormy Daniels testified under oath at former President Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial, detailing an encounter she had with him in 2006 and the subsequent deal for her silence during the 2016 presidential campaign. She met Trump at a golf tournament in Lake Tahoe when she was 27 and he was around 60. Their meeting escalated to dinner in Trump’s hotel suite where he asked her about sexually transmitted diseases and compared her to his daughter. They ended up having sex, with Trump promising to meet again.
This encounter led to subsequent interactions with Trump, including an invitation to see his Trump vodka launch and his failed attempts to get her on his TV show “The Apprentice.” Following the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape in October 2016, where Trump bragged about groping women, Daniels agreed to have her story sold to Trump and his lawyer Michael Cohen to prevent it from becoming public. This resulted in Cohen paying her $130,000, a payment that Trump later reimbursed him for.
The trial focuses on allegations that Trump falsified business records in concealing repayment to Cohen and has led to a series of courtroom dramas, including Trump’s repeated violations of a gag order and a fine of $1,000. Trump and his legal team were caught off guard by Daniels’ testimony, which was previously barred from the trial but later allowed in limited capacity. Prosecutors may use Trump’s own words from his books to show his involvement in the payments made to Daniels. Cohen is also expected to testify in the trial.
The trial has drawn significant interest, with Daniels providing detailed accounts of her interactions with Trump and the subsequent fallout. The jury appeared intent on her testimony, which included intimate details of their encounter. Trump has denied the allegations made by Daniels and another woman, Karen McDougal, about affairs during his campaign. The case has cast a spotlight on Trump’s business practices and dealings with individuals seeking to capitalize on their connections with him.
The trial has entered its third week of testimony, with prosecutors estimating they are past the halfway mark. The legal proceedings have revealed the complexities of Trump’s financial transactions and interactions with individuals like Daniels. The case also highlights the challenges of conducting a trial involving a former president and the intense media scrutiny surrounding the proceedings. Daniels’ testimony provides a firsthand account of the events that led to the criminal charges against Trump and the implications for his future.
