During a short redirect examination, Trump White House aide Madeleine Westerhout confirmed that she currently works as the chief of staff for Robert C. O'Brien, who served as Trump's national security adviser from 2019 to 2021.

Westerhout then concluded her testimony.

She and Trump both smiled at each other as she stepped off the witness stand. As she passed by the defense table, Trump whispered what appeared to be a brief word of thanks to her.

Defense attorney Necheles concluded her cross-examination of Trump White House aide Madeleine Westerhout by asking Westerhout about Trump's reaction to the 2018 Wall Street Journal story about the Stormy Daniels hush money payment.

Westerhout confirmed she spoke with Trump after the story came out and recalled that "he was very upset by it."

"Why?" Necheles asked.

"My understanding is he knew it would be hurtful to his family," Westerhout said.

Part of her testimony about Trump's response was struck from the record because Westerhout could not recall Trump specifically mentioning his family.

"I could just tell that the whole situation was unpleasant," Westerhout said.

Defense attorney Susan Necheles suggested that the practice of not mailing Trump's personal items directly to the White House -- including checks for him to sign -- was a standard practice used by past presidents to quickly get their personal mail.

"It was a way that items could be sent to you and you could get them promptly to President Trump?" Necheles asked Trump White House aide Madeleine Westerhout, suggesting that security practices delayed mail sent to the White House and that packages might get lost.

"That's right," Westerhout said.

"This was a problem [that] … exists for everybody who is in that office?" Necheles later asked, suggesting past administrations used a similar solution.

"I don't have any knowledge of what is was like in previous administrations, but I can't imagine it would have been any different," said Westerhout.

Necheles also sought to contradict the prosecution's contention that Trump personally reviewed every check he signed.

"You said he signed a tremendous amount of documents ... commissions, proclamations, executive orders, memos, letters ... hundreds of documents a day?" Necheles asked Westerhout.

"Not every day, but sometimes," Westerhout said.

"Sometimes he would sign checks without reviewing them?" Necheles asked.

"Yes," said Westerhout.

Seeking to distance Trump from his then-Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg -- and thus the repayment arrangement for Michael Cohen -- defense attorney Susan Necheles asked Trump White House aide Madeleine Westerhout, "I'm correct that you don't ever have a recollection of Donald Trump and Allen Weisselberg speaking in his first year in office?"

"That's correct, yes," Westerhout responded.

Meanwhile, a long week of testimony appears to have caught up with some of the jurors, several of whom appear to be stifling yawns.

All 18 were leaning back into their chairs as attorneys gathered at the bench for a sidebar conference.

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.