Stormy Daniels talked in court about, among other things, her sexual relationship with Trump.
Former porn star and key witness Stormy Daniels testified for more than two hours on Tuesday at the hush money trial of former President Donald Trump. In the courtroom in New York, she talked about, among other things, her sexual relationship with Trump, American media report.
Tuesday May 7, 2024 at 8:10 PM
The 45-year-old actress – born Stephanie Clifford – is one of the most important witnesses in the criminal case against Trump. A somewhat nervous Daniels also talked about her poor upbringing and the start of her career. She said she first met Trump as a 27-year-old in July 2006 during an exclusive golf tournament, CNN journalists reported in a live blog. Daniels afterwards described how, after initially refusing, she was invited to dinner with Trump at a hotel. According to Daniels, Trump was wearing satin pajamas when she arrived.
Power dynamics
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger later asked her to describe “very briefly” how she had sex with Trump. After the meeting, Daniels said she “left as quickly as possible” and confirmed that Trump had not asked her to keep their contact confidential. He would not have worried about his wife Melania. The prosecutor tried to elicit more details, but the opposing party’s objections were upheld. The judge previously pointed out to the prosecutor that she went into too much detail during her interrogation.
According to CNN, the former porn star pointed out an intimidating power dynamic with Trump in her testimony. For example, according to her, Trump said that she reminded him of his daughter Ivanka. The former president is also said to have raised the idea of having Daniels participate in the TV show ‘The Apprentice’.
Donlad Trump. — © REUTERS
Sell story
After Trump ran for president in 2015, Daniels says “a lot of people” made suggestions to her to buy the story of the affair. Ultimately, she lets her manager – Gina Rodriguez – handle the potential sale. Years earlier, she wanted to sell her story for $15,000 to the American tabloid In Touch Weekly magazine, Daniels testified.
Through Rodriguez, Daniels says he heard that Trump and his former lawyer Michael Cohen wanted to buy her story. Although she first wanted to get her story out, she became convinced that Trump and Cohen’s offer was better. Trump and his lawyer offered her $130,000, CNN quotes Daniels. The former porn star said she wanted a deal quickly because she was concerned about a threat. In 2011, Daniels said she was threatened by a man in a parking lot.
The Republican presidential candidate is accused of falsifying data to cover up a $130,000 hush money payment to Daniels. The 77-year-old Trump – who followed the courtroom testimony on a screen in front of him – denies that he had a sexual relationship with Stormy Daniels in 2006.
Stormy Daniels. — © AP