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

Former President Trump was in court on Day 15 of his criminal trial in New York.

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.


What to know about the hush money case

READ MORE: Here's what you need to know about the historic case.


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Defense presses Daniels on details of her story

Defense attorney Susan Necheles turned her focus to the alleged sexual encounter between Trump and Stormy Daniels in 2006.

Necheles recounted the details of the golf tournament where Daniels said she and Trump met in Lake Tahoe, California, asking Daniels to confirm each part of the story.

Necheles homed in on an apparent inconsistency between Daniels' testimony on Tuesday and her description of the encounter to InTouch magazine in 2011.

"This is a totally different story than you told in 2011?" Necheles said.

"No," Daniels responded.

According to Necheles, Daniels told InTouch that Trump kept looking at her when they first met on the golf course and that he offered to take her out to dinner.

On Tuesday, Daniels testified that her interaction with Trump on the course was brief and said that Trump's bodyguard extended the dinner invite on behalf of Trump.

"It is an abbreviated entertaining version of the event," Daniels said of the InTouch depiction of events. "It is minus some details."


Defense suggests Daniels has experience with 'phony stories'

Jurors saw photos of some of the merchandise Stormy Daniels sells on her online store, including T-shirts, comic books and a "Stormy Saint of Indictments candle."

Defense attorney Susan Necheles used the line of questioning to again suggest that Daniels makes a "large part of her livelihood" by selling the story about her alleged affair with Trump.

Necheles suggested Daniels is well-practiced in making up stories about sex, pointing to her career in adult films.

"You have a lot of experience of making phony stories about sex appear to be real?" Necheles asked.

"The sex in the films is very real, just like what happened to me in that room," Daniels responded, adding that if she were to fictionalize her encounter with Trump, she "would have written it to be a lot better."

Trump attorney Todd Blanche let out a chuckle at one point when Daniels, in referring to the sex in adult films, said, "I think we all know how to do that."


Defense questions Daniels about her recent social posts

"Isn't it a fact that you keep posting on social media that you would be instrumental in putting President Trump in jail?" defense attorney Susan Necheles asked Stormy Daniels.

"Show me where I say I would be instrumental in putting President Trump in jail," Daniels replied.

Necheles displayed for the court a social media post Daniels made responding to a message calling her a "TOILET," that read: ""Exactly! Making me the best person to flush the orange turn down."

"I don't see the word 'instrumental' or 'jail,'" Daniels said. "You're putting words in my mouth."

Daniels explained the joke, citing the reference to a "toilet" as her predicate for using the "orange turd" expression: "See how that works?"

Asked what she meant by "orange turd," Daniels said: "I don't know what I meant ... I'm also not a toilet."

Trump, at the defense table, put his elbows back on the table and leaned into the monitor in front of him as it displayed another post in which Daniels says she celebrated his indictment.

"You are drinking champagne because you are celebrating that Trump was indicted?" Nechelss asked Daniels.

"Yes," Daniels responded.

Trump visibly shook his head no.


Testimony turns combative as Daniels is pressed on social posts

Defense attorney Susan Necheles turned the topic of her cross-examination to Stormy Daniels' recent social media posts related to the trial.

Jurors saw a March 2024 post on X where Daniels said she was the "best person to flush the orange turd down."

Pressed by Necheles, Daniels initially refused to confirm if she was referring to Donald Trump in that post.

The questioning turned combative and Daniels appeared to get defensive.

"If they want to make fun of me, I can make fun of them," Daniels said.

Daniels later relented, telling Necheles that she referenced Trump in the tweet.

"I absolutely meant Donald Trump," Daniels admitted.


Judge rebukes Cohen ahead of Monday's expected testimony

Judge Merchan communicated a bit of a warning to Michael Cohen ahead of his planned testimony next week, telling prosecutors to ask him to stop talking about the case after Trump's team brought up his continued out-of-court statements.

"I would direct the people to communicate to Mr. Cohen that the judge is asking him to refrain from making any more statements about this case," Merchan said.

"That comes from the bench and you are communicating that on behalf of the bench," said the judge.

Merchan's rebuke came after defense attorney Todd Blanche brought up recent statements by Cohen, including his appearing on TikTok this week wearing a shirt with a photo of Trump behind bars.

"It's becoming a problem every single day that President Trump is not allowed to respond to this witness," Blanche urged. "He has stated on social media that he is going to stop talking, and he doesn't," Blanche said of Cohen.

Prosecutors said they had already "repeatedly" asked Cohen and others not to post about the case, but claimed they had no control over the witnesses.

Trump, at the defense table, grinned broadly during the exchange regarding Cohen and his behavior on social media. But he shook his head and looked at Blanche, seemingly in disbelief, when Merchan -- instead of ordering Cohen to stop -- merely asked prosecutors to speak to him.

Court was subsequently adjourned for the week.