Former President Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels, a porn actor, found themselves at the center of a high-profile trial in New York City on May 7, 2024. The trial revolved around hush money payments made during Trump's presidential campaign in 2016 to keep Daniels from disclosing an alleged sexual encounter between them in 2006.
Stormy Daniels testified about the encounter at Manhattan Criminal Court, describing how they met at a golf outing sponsored by her adult film studio. She recounted their brief conversation and Trump's remark that she must be 'the smart one.' Daniels denied trying to extort money from Trump and insisted that she only wanted to get the story out.
Trump arrived at the courtroom wearing a marigold tie and dark suit, ignoring shouted questions from the press. He defended the payments as legal expenses during a press conference before entering the courtroom. Susan Necheles, an attorney for Trump, announced that Daniels would be called to testify in the trial.
Judge Juan Merchan imposed a gag order on Trump before the trial began, ordering him not to make or direct others to make public statements about witnesses, counsel in the case or court staff. The judge has fined Trump $10,000 for violating this order 10 times.
Trump's legal team has asked a New York appeals court to rule on their challenge to the gag order. Meanwhile, Trump compared the judges imposing the gag orders on him to 'thugs' and an 'attack on the Republican Party and our once great nation itself.' He vowed to make sacrifices, including going to jail, in defense of free speech.
The trial is ongoing.
