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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Defense suggests Daniels is making up her story

Defense attorney Susan Necheles asked Stormy Daniels a line of questions about what details Daniels included and omitted from her 2018 book, based on some of what she said today court.

At one point Necheles directly asked if Daniels was simply making up her story about Trump.

"You are making this up as you sit there?" Necheles said.

"No," Daniels forcefully responded.

"The whole story was made up, wasn't it?" Necheles said.

"None of it is made up," Daniels responded.

For most of the cross-examination, Donald Trump, at the defense table, has been sitting back in his chair and angled toward the witness stand. His eyes are frequently closed, and he rarely confers with his lawyers.


Defense suggests Daniels has profited from her story

Defense attorney Susan Necheles is attempting to suggest that Daniels has profited from what defense attorneys have argued is a false claim of a sexual encounter.

"You have been making money by claiming you had sex with Donald Trump for more than a decade?" Necheles asked.

"I have been making money by telling my story about what happened to me," Daniels responded.

"And that story has made you a lot of money, right?" Necheles followed up.

"It has also cost me a lot of money," Daniels said.


Judge steps in during heated cross-examination

Judge Merchan has had to intervene on multiple occasions to play the role of mediator as the back-and-forth between Stormy Daniels and defense Susan Necheles has grown heated.

When Daniels at one point started to speak unprompted, Necheles snapped: "OK, Miss Daniels, you understand there's no question pending, right?"

That prompted the judge to instruct Daniels, "Please wait until there's a question asked, and then you can answer the question."

At various points when prosecutors have objected to Necheles' line of questions, Daniels shoots her head to her right toward Merchan, who sits less than five feet away from her.

She stares at Merchan until he rules on the objection, then continues her testimony where she left off.


Daniels pressed on calling Trump names

Stormy Daniels raised her voice at one point during a testy exchange with defense attorney Susan Necheles.

Necheles showed Daniels a Tweet she wrote that said, "I don't owe him s--- and I'll never give that orange turd a dime."

A few jurors cracked smiles when Nicheles read aloud one of Daniels' tweets, in which she called Trump an "orange turd."

"That's you calling President Trump names, correct?" Necheles asked.

"In retaliation for him calling me names," Daniels responded.

"You call him names all the time, right?" Necheles asked. "You despise him."

Daniels responded that she was countering the names he called her that the jury previously saw, namely Horseface and Sleazebag.

"Cause he made fun of me first," Daniels said.

"So one of you started it and you both continued it?" Necheles said.