Former President Donald Trump reiterated his plans to testify in his criminal trial as he exited the courtroom at the end of the day.

"We just had another hearing and the trial starts on Monday, which is long before a lot of people thought," Trump said. "The judge wants to go as fast as possible."

The former president again, without evidence, called the trial a witch hunt orchestrated by his political rivals.

-Mike Pappano

Judge Juan Merchan declined to order prosecutors to disclose their first witness after defense attorneys remade a request from yesterday.

"I still think that under the circumstances, the people's response is understandable, and I am not going to compel them to do anything," Merchan said, citing the hearing set for Tuesday to hold Trump in contempt for violating the judge's limited gag order.

Yesterday, prosecutors expressed concern that Trump might attack the initial witnesses if he learned their names. Today, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass offered a compromise -- that they would turn over the first witnesses name on Sunday with a strict condition.

"If that should be tweeted, that will be the last time we extend that courtesy," Steinglass said.

Steinglass said that while the testimony of the first witness will likely begin on Monday, it is unlikely the witness finishes their direct examination by the end of the day.

Court was subsequently recessed for the day.

An appeals court judge has denied the defense's request for an emergency stay of the trial.

Trump earlier Friday filed the emergency appeal as he sought to change the venue of the trial based on some of the responses prospective jurors gave during the jury selection process.

The appeals court judge denied Trump's request to delay the start of the trial.

Trump's prior attempts to move the trial out of Manhattan have failed.

"We're going to have opening statements on Monday morning," Judge Juan Merchan declared.

He made the pronouncement after admonishing the defense to stop filing letters "targeting individual decisions one by one by one."

"There comes a point where you accept my rulings," he told Trump and his defense team.

"I've entertained your motions. I've entertained your arguments," Merchan said. "There's nothing else to clarify. There is nothing else to argue. We are going to have opening statements on Monday. We are starting on Monday."

According to former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, Michael Cohen pushed for the National Enquirer to keep doorman Dino Sajudin locked into a contract until after the 2016 election, even though the story Sajudin was shopping about Trump having a love child were untrue.

"I told Michael Cohen the story was not true. I told him that the doorman is very difficult to deal with," Pecker testified.

Cohen had earlier encouraged Pecker to add a $1 million penalty to Sajudin's contract if he broke the agreement and tried to shop around the story.

"He would breach this agreement and owe American Media a million dollars," Pecker said. "It was basically a lever over him to make sure that wouldn't happen."

Cohen encouraged Pecker to keep Sajudin locked in, according to the former publisher.

"I am going release him one way or the other," Pecker said he told Cohen regarding Sajudin. "He said, 'No, release him after the election.'"

"When was he released?" prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked Pecker.

"December 9, 2016," Pecker said.

"After the presidential election?" Steinglass asked.

"Yes," Pecker responded.