Trump trial: Stormy Daniels tells (almost) all about alleged sexual encounter with Trump
Donald Trump watched Stormy Daniels testify on Day 13 of his hush money trial.
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.
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Trump was 'cursing audibly' during Daniels' testimony
Former President Trump was "cursing audibly" at one point during today's direct examination of Stormy Daniels, according to a transcript of a sidebar conversation that was released following court.
"I understand that your client is upset at this point, but he is cursing audibly, and he is shaking his head visually and that's contemptuous.
It has the potential to intimidate the witness and the jury can see that," Judge Juan Merchan told Trump's attorney during the sidebar, according to the transcript.
"I will talk to him," said Trump attorney Todd Blanche.
"So, I am speaking to you here at the bench because I don't want to embarrass him," Merchan said. "You need to speak to him. I won't tolerate that."
"I will talk to him," Blanche replied.
Following a subsequent break, reporters heard Judge Merchan ask Blanche whether he had spoken to his client, but at the time it wasn't clear what the judge was referring to.
Daniels' testimony included a graphic description of her alleged sexual encounter with Trump in 2006.
Trump, exiting court, calls case 'a disaster for the DA'
Former President Trump, on his way out of court, slammed the proceedings as "a disaster for the DA."
"This was a very big day, a very revealing day," Trump told reporters. "As you see, their case is totally falling apart."
"They have nothing on the books and records and even something that should bear very little relationship to the case," he said.
"It is just a disaster for the DA," said the former president.
-ABC News' Kelsey Walsh and Mike Pappano
Court ends for the day
Judge Merchan has ended the proceedings for the day.
Former President Trump was conferring with his attorney when Stormy Daniels passed by the defense table on her way out of the courtroom, and she and Trump did not appear to acknowledge each other.
Court is off tomorrow, with Daniels' cross-examination scheduled to resume at 9:30 a.m. ET on Thursday.
Defense presses Daniels on claim of extortion
Defense attorney Susan Necheles, resuming her cross-examination of Stormy Daniels following a break, raised the defense claim that Donald Trump was the victim of extortion.
"You were looking to extort money from President Trump, right?" Necheles asked.
"False," Daniels replied.
"That's what you did, right?" Necheles insisted.
"False," Daniels responded.
On occasion, Daniels has been hesitant to answer questions during the cross-examination, especially when Necheles quickly presents an exhibit to jurors.
"You want me to comment on something when I don't know the context, and that is not fair," Daniels said at one point.
Judge again holds Trump in contempt, threatens jail time
Judge Juan Merchan has found former President Trump violated the limited gag in the case for a 10th time and has held him in contempt.
"I find you in criminal contempt for the 10th time," Merchan said, determining that Trump violated the gag order when he made remarks about the case's jury on April 22 during an interview on Real America's Voice, after the trial had started.
Merchan said that the $1,000 dollar fines per violation "are not serving as a deterrent" and threatened to jail Trump moving forward.
"Mr. Trump, last thing I want to do is put you in jail, you are the former president of the United States, and possibly the next president as well," Merchan said, directly addressing Trump.
"At the end of the day I have a job to do," Merchan said.
"Defendant violated the order by making public statements about the jury and how it was selected," Merchan's ruling said. "In doing so, Defendant not only called into question the integrity, and therefore the legitimacy of these proceedings, but again raised the specter of fear for the safety of the jurors and of their loved ones.
"That jury was picked so fast -- 95% Democrats," Trump told Real America's Voice on April 22. "The area's mostly all Democrat. You think of it as a -- just a purely Democrat area. It's a very unfair situation, that I can tell you."
The ruling comes after Merchan earlier found Trump in contempt for nine previous violations of the trial's limited gag order, for which Trump paid $1,000 for each violation.
Merchan determined that prosecutors could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt the three other additional gag order violations they had sought, including remarks Trump made about former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker during his testimony.
Prosecutors had argued that Trump's remarks were a threatening message to other participants in the trial, but Merchan was not convinced by that argument.
