Stormy Daniels took the witness stand on May 7 at Donald Trump’s criminal trial and described in lurid detail her alleged 2006 sexual encounter with the former U.S. president.

New York

Stormy Daniels, the former adult film star, recently gave her testimony at Donald Trump's criminal trial in Manhattan, detailing her alleged 2006 encounter with the ex-U.S. president. According to Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, the interaction took place at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, resulting in her finding herself in a hotel room with no recollection of how she got there, while also asserting she was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol. She mentioned an "imbalance of power" during the encounter but clarified she was neither verbally nor physically threatened.

Daniels vividly recounted the incident, pointing out that Trump purportedly did not use protection, a detail that Trump's defense team argued could unjustly influence the jury. Justice Juan Merchant, presiding over the trial, rejected a mistrial request from Trump's lawyers but cautioned the prosecution on the extent of Daniels’ explicit details, suggesting some aspects of her testimony were unnecessary.

The essence of Daniels' testimony intersects with the core of the trial, where Trump faces allegations of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 payment made to silence Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, a charge to which he has pleaded not guilty. Legal analysts, such as former federal prosecutor Jessica Roth, interpret Daniels' detailed narrative as potentially crucial for understanding why Trump might have sought to prevent the disclosure of their alleged encounter.

Additionally, during cross-examination, Trump's defense attempted to cast doubt on Daniels' motives by highlighting her expressed animosity towards Trump, including referencing a tweet from 2022 where she derogatorily referred to him as an "orange turd." Daniels confirmed her dislike for Trump and agreed that she would want him found guilty if indeed he was.



Key takeaways from Stormy Daniels' testimony

Former porn star Stormy Daniels took the witness stand on Tuesday at Donald Trump's criminal trial in Manhattan. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, described in graphic detail her alleged 2006 sexual encounter with the former U.S. president. Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges he falsified business records to cover up a $130,000 hush money payment to her ahead of the 2016 election. Here are three takeaways from the first day of Daniels' testimony. Daniels made clear that she did not decline what she described as Trump's sexual advances at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, but she said she had, quote, blacked out before finding herself in a hotel room with no clothes on, though she said she had not consumed drugs or alcohol. Daniels testified that there was a, quote, imbalance of power, but that she was not, quote, threatened verbally or physically. Daniels described the alleged encounter in lurid detail, including Trump allegedly not wearing a condom during sex. Trump's lawyers asked Justice Juan Merchant to declare a mistrial, arguing such details served only to, quote, inflame the jury. Merchant denied the request, but urged prosecutors to limit Daniels' testimony. Merchant said, quote, there were some things that probably would have been better left unsaid. Jessica Roth, a former federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, said the details could help illustrate why Trump would have taken steps to silence Daniels. She talked about the encounter in ways that did not allege that it was a sexual assault, but came very close to describing it in those terms, things that, again, were not necessary for the story in terms of the allegations and the charges in this case. That said, there is an argument that some of the detail was necessary for the jury to evaluate why Trump would have been so concerned about the story coming out when it did. Trump's defense sought to highlight Daniels' animosity towards Trump under cross-examination. They showed jurors a 2022 tweet in which Daniels referred to Trump as a, quote, orange turd. And when asked if she hated Trump by one of his lawyers, Daniels replied yes without hesitation. When asked if she wanted Trump to go to jail, Daniels responded, quote, if he is found guilty absolutely.

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