Stormy Daniels leaving ‘The View’ on March 21 in New York. Photo: MEGA/GC Images
Adult film actress Stormy Daniels is testifying Tuesday in former President Trump’s New York criminal trial, setting up a dramatic moment in the historic case.
Why it matters: Daniels’ testimony brought her face-to-face with the former president, years after she alleged that Trump paid her to stay quiet about an alleged affair that he denies. Here allegations are at the heart of prosecutors’ case against the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.
Driving the news: Daniels described to the jury the night she says she met Trump for dinner after meeting him at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe in July 2006.
- She testified that when she arrived at his hotel for dinner, he was wearing pajamas, per the New York Times.
- Daniels said that she told Trump that he was “arrogant” and asked him about his wife. She testified that she recalled Trump saying that he and his wife, Melania Trump, did not sleep in the same room.
- Trump appeared to mouth an expletive at one point.
Zoom in: Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the case, told prosecutors that “the degree of detail we’re going into here is just unnecessary,” per CNN.
- “When [Daniels] comes back to the stand, we can move it along more quickly,” Merchan said.
The big picture: Daniels has said that she was paid $130,000 by Trump’s ex-fixer, Michael Cohen, before the 2016 presidential election to remain silent about the alleged affair with Trump that she says took place a decade earlier.
- Prosecutors have accused Trump of falsifying business records in the first degree to try to shield the payments to Cohen. Trump pleaded not guilty and has denied wrongdoing.
Between the lines: Trump https://twitter.com/kaitlancollins/status/1787815447917736443?s=46&t=yxYBta0zhKqvzUP8zCYxjw posted on his Truth Social account on Tuesday morning complaining that he had “no time” to prepare for the next witness in the case.
- The post came as reports emerged that Daniels was expected to testify Tuesday.
- Trump appeared to delete the post less than an hour later. He is under a gag order in the case that restricts him from commenting on jurors, court personnel and potential witnesses.
- Merchan threatened Trump with jail time on Monday for future violations of the order.
Go deeper: Trump’s threat of being jailed suddenly gets real
Editor’s note: This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
