On redirect examination, Michael Cohen provided some background on the $30,000 he said he stole from the Trump Organization by overcharging them for work he did with Red Finch -- funds that were paid to him as part of the Stormy Daniels reimbursement payment.

"Red Finch is a technology company that I had asked to assist in a CNBC poll, and the poll was regarding the most famous businessmen in, like, the last century," Cohen said, speaking to the jury. "Mr. Trump's name was on that list and at the beginning of this poll he was polling toward the very bottom. It upset him, so he had me come to his office and he provided me with a sheet of paper."

"I reached out to Red Finch who told me he was able to create an algorithm to ensure that Mr. Trump would rise and rise significantly in this poll. We talked about what number Mr. Trump wanted to finish," Cohen said.

The jury sat in rapt attention as Cohen spoke.

Eventually Trump came in No. 9 but he declined to pay Red Finch because CNBC didn't bother following through with the poll, Cohen said. Cohen ended up paying them -- in a brown paper bag in cash, he said.

"You felt some pressure to make some payment to your friend? Hoffinger asked.

"Yes," Cohen responded.

Asked why he did it, Cohen said, "Well for a long time I had been telling him about the $50,000. ... I was angered because of the reduction in the bonus, and so I just felt it was almost like self help."

"I wasn't going to let him have the benefit this way as well," Cohen said, admitting that it was wrong.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger begun her redirect examination of Michael Cohen by attempting to rehabilitate Cohen's testimony about the phone call he said he had with Donald Trump on Oct. 24, 2016.

"Is it possible that other matters may have been discussed on those calls, but you are sure the Stormy Daniels matter was discussed?" Hoffinger asked.

"Yes," Cohen said.

Cohen told jurors that even if he was busy with other matters at the time, he was sure he communicated with Trump about the Stormy Daniels' payment.

Jurors seem fully engaged, several taking notes.

Hoffinger also asked about today's questions by defense attorney Todd Blanche suggesting Cohen was too busy to remember much of anything in 2016.

"Were you too busy in 2016 to finalize the Stormy Daniels payoff with Mr. Trump?" Hoffinger asked.

"No ma'am," Cohen responded.

"Were you too busy to get his approval to make that payment?" Blanche asked.

"No ma'am," Cohen said.

"Your testimony remains ... that notwithstanding everything you've said over the years, you have specific recollection of having conversations on the phone with then candidate Donald J. Trump about the Stormy Daniels matter, correct?" defense attorney Todd Blanche asked Michael Cohen as he wrapped up his questioning.

"Yes sir," he replied.

"No doubt in your mind?" Blanche asked.

"No sir," said Cohen.

"No further questions," Blanche said, ending his cross-examination.

"Do you have a financial interest in the outcome of this case?" defense attorney Todd Blanche asked Michael Cohen.

"Yes sir," said Cohen, before clarifying.

"I talk about it on my podcast, i talk about it on TikTok, and they make money, and that's how I was viewing your question. Whether he is ultimately determined innocent or guilty is not going to affect whether i speak about it or not."

As Cohen answered, Trump looked on, facing Cohen directly.

Subsequently, Cohen said, "It's better if he's not, for me, because it gives me more to talk about in the future."

The answer drew some laughs in the overflow room.

Donald Trump said Wednesday that he didn't take the stand in his hush money trial because he didn't agree with the judge's rulings -- and because he was seemingly worried about information that could have come out during cross-examination.

"He made rulings that makes it very difficult to testify," Trump said in an interview on WABC Radio, referring to Judge Juan Merchan. "Anything I did, anything I did in the past, they can bring everything up, and you know what, I've had a great past -- but anything."

"The other reason is because they have no case," Trump said. "In other words, why would -- why testify when they have no case?"

Trump had originally indicated he would testify, saying on April 12 that "I would testify, absolutely." But he subsequently appeared to back away from the idea, falsely telling reporters on May 2 that the limited gag order in the case -- which prohibits extrajudicial statements about witnesses and jurors -- prevented him from testifying.

The next day in court, Judge Merchan directly addressed Trump to clarify that he has an "absolute right" to testify and that the limited gag order does not apply to his statements in court.

"I want to stress, Mr. Trump, that you have an absolute right to testify at trial, if that is what you decide to do after consultation with your attorneys," Merchan said.

-Lalee Ibssa, Soo Rin Kim and Kelsey Walsh