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NEW YORK. Donald Trump’s lawyers grilled Stormy Daniels after the testimony about the sex affair.
For hours, defense attorneys tried to undermine the porn star’s credibility — suggesting she was trying to blackmail their client.
– You made all this up, didn’t you?
Porn star Stormy Daniels, 45, testified this week about a sex affair with Donald Trump in a hotel suite in 2006 — a meeting that led to hush money and the historic indictment of the former president.
On Thursday, it was the Trump lawyers’ turn to try to poke holes in her story. The tone was often sharp as Stormy Daniels sparred back and forth with defender Susan Necheles.
– You have a lot of experience creating false stories about sex, don’t you?, Necheles said, referring to Daniel’s long experience in the porn industry.
– Wow, I wouldn’t put it that way. The sex in the movies is very real. Just like what happened in that room, Daniels replied, referring to the sex she testified about with Trump.
– If that story had been untrue, then I would have written the script better, she continued.
No television cameras are allowed in the courtroom, but Aftonbladet was there when Stormy testified for the second time in the court in Manhattan.
Trump’s defense attorneys brought newspaper articles and social media posts to the jury to corroborate Daniels’ version of events.
They showed photos in court of a scantily clad Stormy Daniels from the promotion of a strip club tour, called “Make America Horny Again” – and tried to paint a picture of how Daniels wanted to make big money from the Trump brand and the story of their sex.
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fullscreenStormy Daniels. Sketch from the courtroom. Photo: Elizabeth Williams/AP
Stormy Daniels was visibly frustrated as the lawyers pushed her harder and harder.
– You are trying to make me say that my story has changed over time. It hasn’t, she said.
– You wanted money from President Trump, right?, Trump’s lawyer asked.
– No. I have never asked President Trump for money. I never asked for money from anyone in particular. I asked for money to tell my story, Daniels replied.
The $130,000 in hush money Stormy Daniels received from Trump’s lawyer to stop her from speaking publicly about the sex affair ahead of the 2016 presidential election is at the heart of the New York indictment against Trump.
The 77-year-old Trump, who was in the courtroom when Daniels testified, maintains that he is not guilty of 34 counts of improper accounting of the money. He also denies the sex affair with Daniels.
During much of Stormy Daniel’s testimony on Thursday, Trump sat with his eyes closed. He was all the more alert, leaning forward, and looking noticeably irritated, when Daniels was questioned about the sex she claims they had 18 years ago.
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full screenDonald Trump. Photo: Angela Weiss/AP
Told about the meeting with Trump
Trump’s lawyers questioned whether Daniels had actually felt “the room start spinning” when she saw Donald Trump lying in his underwear on the bed when she came out of the bathroom at their meeting in 2006, something she testified this week.
– Yes, I was shocked, surprised, Daniels replied.
– You acted in over 200 porn films, right? pressed the lawyer.
– 150 approximately.
– And yet, according to you, a man in a t-shirt and boxer shorts was so outrageous that you almost fainted?
– Yeah, seeing a man twice my age in his underpants was not something I expected, Daniels said.
Stormy has said she thought she was invited to the hotel suite to have dinner with Trump, nothing else.
– You made all this up, didn’t you? asked the attorney, Susan Necheles.
– NO, said Daniels emphatically.
Queued for eight hours
Outside the court, many queued as early as dawn in the hope of catching a glimpse of the key witness Stormy in court.
There were reporters from all over the world, but also members of the public. There is fierce competition for the seats.
Heidi Sorensen, 66, of New York queued for over eight hours, and still missed Stormy’s testimony. From what Heidi read on the news, she thought Daniels sounded credible.
– I think she has done a good job of standing up for herself. It sounded like she was doing well.
In the park next door, Nadine Seiler, 59, held a giant placard with the text:
“Fall Trump” in the direction of the right.
– Trump should have been arrested and charged years ago, she said.
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full screen Heidi Sorensen, 66. Photo: Emelie Svensson
“Trump wanted to make her shut up”
Nadine believes Stormy Daniel’s story about the sex with Trump, and thinks it is a crucial piece of the puzzle in the court case.
– Trump wanted to shut her up – that’s why he gave her money and falsified her records. He did not want this information to come out before the presidential election. Otherwise, people would not have voted for him, for example evangelical voters.
Stormy Daniels testified for a total of seven hours, spread over two days.
In the afternoon, Trump’s lawyers sought to have the lawsuit dismissed, for the second time this week.
Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche argued that Stormy Daniel’s testimony was completely irrelevant information, which served to humiliate Trump.
Among other things, he highlighted her anecdote about the slap, which she said she gave Trump with a newspaper before the sex.
– How is it relevant to why we are here? Especially when you factor in its prejudiced nature, Blanche said.
Another detail he pointed out was Daniels’ claim that Trump did not use a condom during intercourse, and that she mentioned that there was an uneven power dynamic between them.
– It sounded like a dog whistle for rape, Blanche said annoyed.
The judge agreed that some details of Stormy Daniel’s testimony were superfluous – but ruled that none of this was enough to stop the trial.
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Nadine Seiler, 59.
1 / 2Photo: Emelie Svensson