Daniels remains resolute during cross-examination, while Judge Merchan criticizes Trump’s defence team for mishandling objections

Stormy Daniels, the adult film actress at the centre of former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial, faced intense scrutiny during her cross-examination, yet remained unwavering under attack. Trump’s legal team sought to undermine her credibility by portraying her as a manipulative opportunist, but Daniels maintained her story and drew stark parallels between her marketing approach and Trump’s own. Judge Juan Merchan, overseeing the trial, criticized Trump’s defence team for their lack of objections to Daniels’ testimony and rejected their mistrial request for the second time that week. The trial continues to captivate national attention, with Daniels’ testimony forming a crucial part of the prosecution’s case.

The New York Times:  

In a piece authored by Jonah E. Bromwich, Ben Protess, and Maggie Haberman, The New York Times presents a detailed recounting of the courtroom drama as Stormy Daniels, echoing Trump’s own style, pushed back against attacks on her credibility. During a grueling cross-examination, Trump’s lawyers attempted to paint her as a profiteer leveraging her association with Trump for financial gain. However, Daniels remained firm, describing her sexual encounter with Trump in detail, emphasizing that she accepted the $130,000 hush money only because she felt pressured to stay silent as the 2016 election approached.

The defence’s strategy involved portraying Daniels as a master manipulator capitalizing on her association with Trump, but Daniels argued that her online merchandise and media appearances served only to cover legal and travel expenses. Judge Merchan rejected the defence’s request for a mistrial, noting that their denial of the encounter had opened the door for the explicit nature of Daniels’ testimony. Despite the defence’s efforts to undermine her credibility, Daniels’ testimony laid the foundation for Michael Cohen’s expected testimony, as prosecutors seek to demonstrate that Trump falsified records to conceal his repayment of Cohen for the hush-money payment.

CNN:  

CNN’s coverage, led by Kara Scannell, Lauren del Valle, and Jeremy Herb, highlights how Judge Juan Merchan rebuked Trump’s defence team for failing to object to Stormy Daniels’ testimony. The defence attempted to argue that Daniels changed her story and portrayed the encounter with Trump as potentially non-consensual. However, Merchan pointed out the absence of objections from Trump’s lawyers, questioning why attorney Susan Necheles had not objected to specific elements of Daniels’ testimony, such as her description of Trump not wearing a condom.

The judge explained that the defence’s denial of the sexual encounter gave the prosecution grounds to pursue Daniels’ story more rigorously. By providing detailed testimony, Daniels enabled the jury to assess the credibility of her claims. Merchan acknowledged the explicit nature of Daniels’ testimony but emphasized its relevance in establishing the occurrence of the encounter. Despite their attempts to discredit Daniels and suppress her testimony, Trump’s lawyers were unsuccessful, leaving her account intact for the jury to consider