During the Trump hush money trial, discussions arose regarding the possibility of cross-examination on contempt charges against Trump for violating a gag order. Trump accused the Manhattan DA of allowing violent crime to run rampant and targeting his company, calling the attorneys at the DA’s office radical left lunatics. Hope Hicks testified about Trump valuing Melania Trump’s opinion and becoming stressed after the “Access Hollywood” tape was released. Hicks also mentioned the animosity between Trump and Michael Cohen, describing Cohen as a “fixer” who went rogue.
As the trial continued, Hicks began to cry on the stand when questioned by Trump’s attorney. She also characterized Cohen as selfish rather than charitable when discussing the payment he made without Trump’s knowledge. Additionally, Hicks referenced encounters with David Pecker and details of communication between Trump and Cohen after a Wall Street Journal story about Karen McDougal and the National Enquirer was published were also disclosed in court. Hicks revealed that Trump specifically asked not to have that edition of the Wall Street Journal delivered to his residence.
The focus of the trial shifted to the fallout from the “Access Hollywood” tape, which essentially pushed a hurricane out of the news cycle. Hicks recalled the intense media coverage and discussed the consensus within the campaign that the tape was damaging and would create a crisis. Her initial reaction was to follow a deny, deny, deny strategy when the tape was first brought to her attention. Moreover, the trial delved into discussions about how the campaign responded to the tape and the subsequent efforts to push back against negative news stories related to Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels.
Hope Hicks was called to testify by the prosecution, and the defense raised objections to her role as a witness. Prosecutors admitted dozens of Trump’s social media posts into evidence, prompting Trump’s lawyer to argue against their admissibility. The trial also delved into the reliability of evidence from Michael Cohen’s phone data, as well as the handling of Cohen’s electronics. Throughout the trial, Trump expressed frustration with the judge’s gag order and indicated plans to challenge it in court. The defense attempted to discredit witnesses, including Davidson, who negotiated payoffs for two women in the “catch and kill” scheme. The trial encompassed complex legal arguments, emotional testimonies, and revelations about the inner workings of the 2016 Trump campaign and subsequent legal battles.
