It was the courtroom moment everyone had been anticipating—a blend of high legal significance and scandalous sexual details.
Donald Trump, the former US president known for his assertive demeanor and sense of control, found himself in the position of having to sit and listen as a porn star described, in vivid detail, a bedroom encounter that he vehemently denies ever occurred.
“When I opened the bathroom door to come out, Mr. Trump had entered the bedroom,” Stormy Daniels recounted to the New York court. “The intention was pretty clear, someone had stripped down to their underwear and was posing on the bed, waiting for you.”
Throughout Daniels’ testimony, Trump remained fixed in his gaze, despite the graphic sexual details that often emerged, despite the judge’s attempts to steer the conversation.
“My clothes and shoes were off, I think I still had my bra on. We were in the missionary position,” Daniels recounted.
When questioned about condom usage, she responded, “No.” And regarding the duration of the encounter, she replied, “Yes,” indicating it was brief.
Judge Juan Merchan seemed caught off guard by the explicit nature of the adult material, instructing Daniels to “simply answer the questions” after repeated objections from the defense, some of which he upheld.
However, Merchan wasn’t the only one taken aback. During a sidebar, he informed Trump’s lawyers that the former president was “cursing audibly” and shaking his head during Daniels’s testimony. Merchan expressed concern that this behavior had the potential to intimidate the witness and ordered Trump’s attorneys to ensure their client’s conduct was more restrained, as per a trial transcript released on Tuesday evening.
Despite the courtroom challenges, Daniels disclosed a multitude of memorable allegations. She recounted how Trump referred to her as “Honeybunch” and described numerous phone conversations they had, some of which she even put on speakerphone to amuse her friends.
Recalling the encounter from 2006, Daniels revealed that Trump had insisted on having dinner with her at a golf tournament.
Upon her arrival via the penthouse elevator, Daniels described how Trump greeted her wearing silk or satin pajamas, later changing into casual attire after she teased him.
“He said it was a bit early, maybe we could talk a little bit and get to know each other,” Daniels recounted.
During their conversation, she recalled Trump inquiring about her relationship status, the economics of the porn industry, and the risks of contracting sexually transmitted diseases in her line of work.
“I told him that we were tested every 30 days,” Daniels informed the court, occasionally directing her gaze towards Trump, who did not meet her eyes.
Daniels revealed that their extensive conversation touched on various topics, including Trump’s wife Melania, with Trump mentioning, “we actually don’t even sleep in the same room.” They also discussed whether Daniels should consider appearing on Trump’s television show “The Apprentice.”
In another uncomfortable exchange, Daniels stated, “He said I reminded him of his daughter because she’s smart and blonde.”
When Trump showed her a magazine featuring him on the cover, Daniels made a playful remark: “Someone should spank you with that,” she recounted to the court. “He gave me the look that he dared me to do it… so I swatted him with it right on the butt.”
In the trial transcript, Merchan noted that moment as one of the occasions when Trump was observed shaking his head.
During her testimony, which fluctuated between moments of calm and uncertainty, Daniels stated that they saw each other the following day and met again at a function at Trump Tower in New York and in Los Angeles, but they did not engage in sexual activity again.
Daniels, also known as Stephanie Clifford, wore a black jacket as she responded to questions, with prosecutors aiming to establish Trump’s involvement in covering up payments to her to silence the alleged sexual encounter.
The former president and 2024 Republican candidate, adorned in a blue suit and yellow tie, reclined in his chair, occasionally conferring with his lawyer while his head was tilted. Trump’s son Eric observed from nearby, also shaking his head in apparent disagreement.
Even before stepping foot into the shabby Manhattan courtroom, Daniels seemed to have unsettled Trump. “I have just recently been told who the witness is today. This is unprecedented, no time for lawyers to prepare,” he vented on social media, though he later deleted the post.
On the witness stand, Daniels emphasized that the sexual encounter was consensual, noting that Trump told her “that was great.”
Describing her state of mind afterward, Daniels mentioned that her hands were shaking as she swiftly got dressed. “He went to kiss me goodbye, I went to leave as fast as I could.”
Trump’s legal team sought a mistrial, arguing that much of Daniels’ testimony was irrelevant to the fraud charges facing the former president.
While the judge denied the request, he acknowledged, “I agree there were some things that were better left unsaid.”
