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.
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Daniels returns to the stand following break
Trump reentered the courtroom after the break and returned to the defense table. Before he sat, he turned around to scan the room.
Defense attorney Susan Necheles entered in front of him, smiling.
Trump then conferred with Necheles at the defense table, whispering into her ear as she nodded in agreement.
As Daniels walked by him to the witness stand, he turned to his left to confer with attorney Todd Blanche, facing away from her.
Trump gives fist-pump to reporters
Former President Trump gave a fist-pump as he exited the courtroom for the mid-morning break.
He did not address reporters on his way out .
'It hasn't changed,' Daniels says of her story
Defense attorney Susan Necheles is continuing to try to find inconsistencies in the stories Daniels has previously told about her alleged sexual encounter with Trump, but Daniels, on the stand, has remained steadfast.
"Your story has completely changed, hasn't it?" Necheles asked her at one point.
"No!" Daniels shouted into the microphone. "Not at all. You are trying to make me say that it changed, but it hasn't changed."
Several jurors, watching the exchange, looked like they were watching a tennis match, with their heads and eyes shifting back and forth.
The judge subsequently called for the mid-morning break.
As Necheles returned to the defense table, Trump gave her a pat on the waist, seemingly in approval. She nodded back to him.
Daniels smiled at prosecutors as she left the stand.
Defense questions Daniels about feeling lightheaded
In Susan Necheles' first sustained effort to call into question Stormy Daniels' story of the alleged sexual encounter, which her client has steadfastly denied for years, the defense attorney turned to the details of what happened when Daniels says she exited the bathroom of Trump's suite and saw Trump in his underwear.
Necheles attempted to cast doubt on Daniels' account of feeling light-headed -- highlighting her experience working with naked men in the adult film industry.
"But according to you, seeing a man on a bed in a T-shirt and boxer shorts was so upsetting that you got light-headed, the blood left your hands and feet, and you almost fainted?" Necheles asked.
Daniels responded by highlighting Trump's age, telling jurors she did not expect to find Trump undressed, and emphasizing the power imbalance in the room.
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.