At Tuesday’s criminal trial for Donald Trump, Stormy Daniels went on the witness stand and went into graphic detail about her claimed 2006 sexual encounter with the former president of the United States.
In response to accusations from Manhattan prosecutors that he fabricated financial records to conceal the $130,000 payment Daniels—real name Stephanie Clifford—received from his former attorney for her silence prior to the 2016 election, Trump has entered a not guilty plea.
Trump’s attorneys requested that Judge Juan Merchan declare a mistrial, claiming that the jury would only be “inflamed” by these facts.
Merchan asked prosecutors to restrict Daniels’ testimony, but he rejected the motion for a mistrial.
The court stated, “There were some things that probably would have been better left unsaid.” Daniels decided against sharing her experience after reconsidering.
Daniels stated that InTouch magazine had given her money, so she accepted to be interviewed about the 2011 tryst. However, after claiming to have been threatened to keep quiet about Trump by a man in a Las Vegas parking lot, she had a lawyer urge a site to remove an account of the encounter later that year.
Daniels claimed that in an effort to protect herself, she became willing to share her tale when Trump started his campaign in 2015.
“A reality TV star and someone running for office are very different,” Daniels remarked during Susan Necheles, Trump’s attorney, cross-examination.
Necheles also inquired about Daniels’ desire for Trump to be imprisoned.
Daniels answered, “If he is found guilty, absolutely.” Trump’s defense cast doubt on Daniels’ intentions.
Necheles showed jurors a 2022 tweet in which Daniels called Trump a “orange turd” in an attempt to emphasize Daniels’ hostility against the president. When Necheles questioned Daniels if she detested Trump, she answered “yes” without hesitation.
