Trump trial: Judge rebukes Michael Cohen ahead of expected testimony Monday

Defense attorney Susan Necheles tried to distance Donald Trump from efforts to hide the Stormy Daniels story from voters by highlighting the efforts to keep it hidden in 2018.

"And he wanted you to deny it, correct?" Necheles asked about Trump in 2018.

"Yes," Daniels said.

"And he wasn't running for election in 2018?" Necheles asked.

"No," Daniels said.

"He was concerned about his family, correct?" Necheles asked.

"I was never mentioned anything about his family," Daniels responded.

"But there was nothing about his election going on then?" Necheles asked.

"No," Daniels said.

"And you understand President Trump has a brand?" Necheles followed up.

"Yes," Daniels responded.

Defense attorney Susan Necheles asked Stormy Daniels about her January 2018 denial of the sexual encounter with Trump, showing her the statement she signed that has been prepared by her then-attorney.

“To be clear, I did not write this statement,” Daniels said. “I was told I had to sign it.”

"I signed it, but I did not write it," Daniels continued. "It was given to me and I was told I had to sign it."

Necheles then asked Daniels a series of questions about legal language in her nondisclosure agreement.

Jurors appeared to remain engaged -- but not to the extent that they were previously, when the testimony was more riveting.

One juror was sipping a glass of water, another was rubbing his eyes. Most were still jotting down notes or looking toward the witness stand.

Stormy Daniels testified that she didn't recall the conversation her then-attorney Davidson referenced in the secretly recorded phone call the jury just heard.

She added that Davidson referenced what someone else -- her agent Gina Rodriguez's boyfriend -- might say about the call, not her recollection of it.

"I never yelled at Keith Davidson over the phone," Daniels said. "It sounds like a threat from Keith Davidson."

Jurors heard a surreptitiously recorded phone call between then-Trump attorney Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels' then-attorney, Keith Davidson.

"I just didn't want you to get caught off guard, and I wanted to let you know what was going on behind the scenes," Davidson says on the recording. "And I would not be the least bit surprised if, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if you see in the next couple of days that Gina Rodriguez's boyfriend goes out in the media and tells the story that Stormy Daniels, you know, in the weeks prior to the election was basically yelling and screaming, and calling me a p----."

"Can I, can I ask you a question? Right," says Cohen.

"No, hold on one second," says Davidson. "I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he comes out and says, you know what, Stormy Daniels, she wanted this money more than you can ever imagine. I remember hearing her on the phone saying, you f------ Keith Davidson. You better settle this goddamn story. Because if he loses this election, and he's going to lose, if he loses this election we lose all f------ leverage this case is worth zero. And if that happens, I'm going to sue you because you lost this opportunity. So settle this f------ case. That's a far cry, that's a far cry from far cry from being, you know, bullied and pushed into settling a case."

Trump, sitting at the defense table, appeared highly pleased with this testimony -- he hunched forward over the table in leaned into the monitor on his table that displayed the transcript of the call, firmly nodding is head yes in agreement repeatedly when the tape said "we lose all f------ leverage."

Trump then looked directly at the witness stand when Daniels responded to the tape, saying she never yelled at Davison.