Porn star testifies against Trump at hush money trial

Stormy Daniels, the porn star at the centre of Donald Trump's historic criminal prosecution, gave a testimony on Tuesday regarding an alleged 2006 hotel penthouse suite sexual encounter with the former president.

In order to pay back his attorney, Michael Cohen, for a $130,000 hush money payment to Daniels on the eve of his 2016 election against Hillary Clinton—a campaign that could have been destroyed by the outrageous allegations of marital infidelity—Trump, 77, is accused of fabricating company papers.

With his attorneys by his side at the defence table in the Manhattan courthouse, Trump—who hopes to retake the White House in November—was informed by prosecutor Susan Hoffinger that "The people call Stormy Daniels," according to AFP.

The former president, seated only feet away, watched in silence as Daniels gave extensive testimony about the alleged sexual encounter she had with Trump. She discussed his pyjamas, his boxer shorts, the sexual position, and the fact that he did not wear a condom.

Trump has denied having sex with Daniels, and his legal team attempted in vain to have the case declared a mistrial.

Six months before Trump's attempt to unseat Democratic President Joe Biden on election day, there will be an unusual courtroom confrontation.

Daniels gave prosecutors a tour of her hard upbringing in Louisiana, her time spent as a dancer, and her eventual entry into the adult film business.

Claiming to go by Stephanie Clifford, the 45-year-old said she worked as a greeter for the X-rated film studio Wicked Entertainment and met Trump at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe.

At the time, Daniels claimed to be 27 years old, and Trump was "probably older than my father."

The real estate mogul reportedly requested to have dinner with her, according to a member of Trump's security team. After talking with her publicist, she reluctantly consented.

Daniels testified before the jury that she saw Trump exiting the apartment where he was staying wearing "silk or satin pyjamas, which I immediately made fun of."

"Does Mr. Hefner know you stole his pyjamas?" she questioned, alluding to the attire that the late Hugh Hefner, the creator of Playboy magazine, preferred.

Trump got dressed up and they started discussing sexual films.

Daniels stated, "He was very interested in a lot of the business stuff."

Daniels was urged to appear on Trump's popular reality television programme, "The Apprentice," by the man who was then married to his present wife, Melania.

At one point, Daniels claimed, she went to the toilet and returned to find Trump in boxer shorts and a T-shirt on the bed.

"It surprised me," she remarked. "The goal was fairly obvious."

Daniels stated, "I was not physically or verbally threatened," but there was a "imbalance of power.”
She claimed that Trump did not use a condom during their brief encounter "in missionary position" on the bed.

"I was embarrassed." Daniels stated, "I didn't say no, I didn't stop it.

Daniels claimed that after meeting with Trump multiple times, she severed ties with him when it became apparent that she would not be participating in "The Apprentice."

Daniels stated that following Trump's declaration of his intention to run for president, her publicist advised her to sell her narrative and connected her with Hollywood attorney Keith Davidson, who had previously testified during the trial.

"I wanted to tell the story, not make money," Daniels stated.

She said that on the eve of the presidential election in October 2016, she signed a non-disclosure agreement arranged by Davidson and Cohen for which she was paid $130,000.

She remarked, "He couldn't tell the story; I couldn't tell mine."

Following lunch, Todd Blanche, the lawyer for Trump, requested that Judge Juan Merchan declare a mistrial. He raised objections to portions of Daniels' testimony, specifically her assertion that she was intimidated in 2011 by a man in a Las Vegas parking garage who reportedly told her not to discuss Trump.

"Introducing safety concerns into a trial concerning business records is incredibly biassed," Blanche declared.

"I don't think we have reached a point where a mistrial is in order," Merchan stated in rejecting the application.

A partial gag order bans Trump from criticising the jury, witnesses, or court personnel in public.

He has already paid a $10,000 fine to Merchan for breaking the gag order and warned Trump he may face jail time for future violations.