Trump trial: Trump hit with contempt, witnesses detail Stormy Daniels deal

Stormy Daniels' former attorney testified on Day 9 of Trump's hush money trial.

Last Updated: April 30, 2024, 4:58 PM EDT

Former President Donald Trump is on trial in New York City, where he is facing felony charges related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. It marks the first time in history that a former U.S. president has been tried on criminal charges.

Trump last April pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.

Apr 22, 5:51 am

What to know about the hush money case

Apr 30, 2024, 12:29 PM EDT

Prosecution calls former attorney for McDougal and Daniels

Prosecutors called to the stand Keith Davidson, who worked as an attorney for both Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels when the hush money payments to both women were arranged.

Trump, at the defense table, turned his head to see Davidson as he entered the courtroom.

Davidson, who was granted immunity to testify, said that that he has set up nondisclosure agreements for some of his clients, including some with tabloids.

Former President Donald Trump awaits the start of proceedings at Manhattan criminal court, Apr. 30, 2024, in New York City.
Curtis Means/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked Davidson about his relationship with former National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard. Earlier, former Enquirer publisher David Pecker testified that Davidson was one of Howard's sources.

"I knew him in my professional dealings," Davidson said. "We were professional acquaintances and friends."

Davidson said he first met Michael Cohen in 2011 after a blog was posted about Stormy Daniels -- who was Davidson's client -- and Donald Trump.

"Michael Cohen is the former attorney for Donald Trump," Davidson recounted.

Apr 30, 2024, 12:19 PM EDT

Jury hears transcript of Trump addressing 'Access Hollywood' tape

Prosecutors called their next witness, Philip Thompson, who works for a national court reporting company, to testify about a deposition Trump gave that was taken as part of former Elle magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll's defamation cases against Trump.

Jurors were shown several videos, starting with Trump’s October 2022 deposition in that case.

In the first video, Trump briefly explains what Truth Social is and confirms his handle on the social media platform.

"It is a platform that has been opened by me as an alternative to Twitter," Trump said.

They were next shown an Oct. 19, 2022, deposition taken at Mar-a-Lago, in which Trump confirms he married his wife Melania in 2005.

Thompson then read from the transcript of a deposition where Trump is asked about the "Access Hollywood" video in which he boasts about grabbing women.

Thompson then stepped off the witness stand.

Apr 30, 2024, 12:02 PM EDT

'We don't win' if people think stories are true, Trump said in 2016

As part of a series of video, jurors were shown a video of an October 2016 Trump rally in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

"They are trying to poison the mind of the American voter. Every woman lied when they came forward to hurt my campaign," Trump said in the video.

Lastly, jurors sew a brief video of a press conference by President-elect Trump praising Michael Cohen.

Trump, in one of the videos, appears to acknowledge how damaging the stories could have been to his election prospects.

"If 5% of the people think its true, and maybe 10% of the people, we don't win," Trump says in the speech.

Former President Donald Trump awaits the start of proceedings at Manhattan criminal court, Apr. 30, 2024, in New York City.
Justin Lane/Pool via Reuters

In the courtroom, Trump's demeanor completely changed immediately after the videos were played for the jury. He perked up and frantically whispered with his attorney Todd Blanche, looking displeased.

Browning, the C-SPAN executive, concluded his testimony, and defense lawyers opted not to cross-examine him.

Apr 30, 2024, 11:51 AM EDT

Jurors shown video from 2016 Trump rally

As Robert Browning took the witness stand, Trump was slumped back in his chair, sunken quite low down, with an entirely blank expression on his face. Then his eyes appeared to close.

Browning, a C-SPAN executive is testifying about four videos from 2016: two from Trump campaign events in North Carolina, one from Pennsylvania, and one from a news conference. The executive was called to testify because Trump's defense declined to stipulate that it is, in fact, Trump in the videos

Jurors were first shown a video from a Trump rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, in October 2016.

“I have no idea who these women are. I have no idea,” Trump says in the video regarding allegations of infidelity. “The stories are total fiction. They are 100% made up. They never happened. They never would happen.”

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