Donald Trump’s stormy day in court

Financial Times

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Happy Thursday and welcome to US Election Countdown. Today we’re talking about:

In a salacious episode of this year’s biggest courtroom drama, porn actor Stormy Daniels took the stand in Donald Trump’s “hush money” trial and gave a graphic account of alleged sexual advances he made towards her in 2006 [Free to read]. She’s expected to continue her testimony today.

To recap, Daniels is at the centre of the case: she was paid $130,000 in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election so that she wouldn’t say anything about the supposed sexual encounter. Trump is charged with falsifying the business record behind those payments. 

Daniels, who giggled nervously through her testimony on Tuesday, was just steps away from a glowering Trump at the defence table. She told the jury about how she was invited to Trump’s place after meeting at a golf tournament in Lake Tahoe.

They talked about the porn industry, and the ex-president said he could put her on his reality show The Apprentice, Daniels said. She also testified that Trump told her not to worry about his wife because they “don’t sleep in the same room”.

Daniels hit Trump’s behind with a rolled-up magazine, she said, and after she went to the bathroom, she found Trump in “boxer shorts and T-shirt”. She then went on to describe their “brief” sexual encounter. The FT’s Joe Miller has more details on Daniels’ witness testimony in his report from the courthouse.

As things were heating up in New York, Miami Judge Aileen Cannon pumped the brakes on a different Trump case. Cannon postponed the federal classified documents case, which was scheduled to begin on May 20, saying she needed more time for “adequate preparation”.

There are “myriad and interconnected” pre-trial issues to resolve, Cannon said, adding it “would be imprudent and inconsistent” to rush. 

This means the “hush money” trial is likely to be the only one of the cases against Trump to be heard before election day. 

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The full article is available here. This article was published at FT Markets.