Trump trial: Emotional Hope Hicks faces her former boss on 'Access Hollywood' tape, Stormy Daniels payment
Trump's former top aide was the top witness on Day 11 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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Hicks describes Trump's initial interest in presidency
Longtime Trump aide Hope Hicks testified that Michael Cohen "was an attorney" for the Trump Organization.
"I know he was involved in a couple of the license deals for some of the hotel projects and maybe some of the entertainment pieces as well, like the Ms. Universe pageant," she said.
Hicks said that Trump began exploring running for president by visiting Iowa in January 2015.
"Mr. Trump said we are going to Iowa, and I really didn't know why," Hicks testified.
"[Trump] eventually made the decision to formalize that with an exploratory committee at first and announced that he was going to run for president in June," Hicks said.
Hicks said that while Trump remarked about making her press secretary, but she didn't take it seriously at first.
"I didn't take it very seriously but eventually I just started spending so much time on the campaign," Hicks said.
Hicks added that Trump was "better than anybody" at communications and marketing.
"I reported to Mr. Trump," Hicks said about her eventual role as press secretary. She said they spoke everyday during the campaign.
'He's a very hard worker,' Hicks says of Trump
Hope Hicks testified that, as the director of communications for the Trump Organization, she initially met with Trump on a weekly basis.
"As we transitioned a few months later into the political work, I met with him more regularly," Hicks said, saying they began to meet daily.
"He's a very good multitasker and a very hard worker. He's always doing many things at once. He might be having a conversation with someone and it will remind him to follow up on something else," Hicks testified about Trump.
Hicks said she directly reported to Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Eric Trump.
"It's a very big and successful company, but it is really run like a small family business in certain ways," Hicks said.
She testified about the role within the company of Rhona Graff, who testified last week.
"She was crucial to how everything ran on the 26th floor. She had a lot of institutional knowledge about different projects and Mr. Trump's business relationships, network, likes and dislikes in terms of scheduling," Hicks said.
Asked about Trump's relationship with Graff, she said "it was one of mutual respect."
'I'm really nervous,' Hicks says as she begins testimony
"I'm really nervous," longtime Trump aide Hope Hicks said as prosecutor Matthew Colangelo asked her to move closer to the microphone on the witness stand.
Hicks testified that she joined the Trump Organization in 2014, about four years after she graduated from college. She first worked at a communications firm.
“I was enjoying it so much that I was offered a position at the Trump Organization, and jumped opportunity to join the company full time,” Hicks said.
“Shortly after I joined the Trump Organization, Mr. Trump -- at the time, Mr Trump -- said that he would be exploring a run for president,” she said.
Hicks said that she was subpoenaed to testify. She is paying for her own lawyer.
She testified she was last in communication with Trump in the summer or fall of 2022. She affirmed he is not a client of her own communications consulting company and she has no professional relationship with him
Trump watches Hicks takes seat on witness stand
Donald Trump turned his head as his longtime aide Hope Hicks entered the courtroom from a side door behind the defense counsel table and took a seat on the witness stand.
In her roles at the White House, Hicks witnessed several moments of interest to prosecutors. She briefly attended an August 2015 meeting in Trump Tower where tabloid executive David Pecker vowed to serve as the Trump campaign’s “eyes and ears” for negative stories, Pecker testified earlier.
Pecker also testified that Hicks and another White House official, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, called him in March 2018 to strategize about the National Enquirer’s contract with Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Hicks says she was 'very concerned' about 'Access Hollywood' tape
Longtime Trump aide Hope Hicks said she first learned of the "Access Hollywood" tape when she was contacted by the Washington Post.
"It would have been in the afternoon of Oct. 7," in 2016, Hicks said. "I received an email from the Washington Post asking for comment."
"I was in my office on the 14th floor of Trump Tower," Hicks said.
Asked about the timing of the story, Hicks said the story was "a month -- maybe a little less than a month" from the election.
Jurors were then shown the email that Hicks received from a Washington Post to request a comment about the video.
"URGENT: WashPost query," the subject line reads.
The email detailed that the video contained Trump engaging in an inappropriate conversation about women and included a transcript of Trump's remarks.
"I was concerned. Very concerned," Hicks said about her reaction to the email.
"I was concerned about the contents of the email. I was concerned about the lack of time to respond. I was concerned that we had a transcript not a tape. There was a lot at play," Hicks said.