Justice
Porn star describes details of sex with Trump at trial
Former US President Donald Trump faces several years in prison. The case could influence the US election campaign. photo
© Win McNamee/Pool Getty Images North America/AP/dpa
A delicate day in the New York Trump trial: The testimony of porn actress Daniels is embarrassing for the defendant – but also controversial in terms of content. Meanwhile, he achieved success in Miami.
In the trial against former US President Donald Trump in connection with hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, the porn actress commented in detail about sex with the now 77-year-old. In the presence of Trump, Daniels described in court in New York during a very tense questioning that she was confused in Trump’s hotel suite at Lake Tahoe in 2006 and wondered how she came to sleep with Donald Trump.
Afterwards she was shaking so much that she had problems getting dressed again. Several media representatives present in the courtroom echoed Daniel’s statements. The defense failed with a motion that was intended to halt the trial because of the statements.
Trump achieved legal success on the same day Miami: In the affair surrounding the taking of secret government documents, the official start of the trial against him has been postponed indefinitely.
Trial in New York: Trump faces several years in prison
The prosecution in New York accuses Trump of wanting to improve his chances of winning the 2016 US presidential election by paying Daniels $130,000 in hush money. Although the transaction itself was not illegal, when returning the money to his lawyer Michael Cohen, Trump falsified business documents to conceal the actual purpose. This is the first criminal trial against an ex-president in US history.
Trump faces several years in prison, which could also be suspended, or a fine. The case could influence the US election campaign. Trump wants to be re-elected president in November. He has pleaded not guilty – and repeatedly denied having sex with Daniels at all.
Daniels went on to say that she wanted to leave the hotel room before sex, but Trump got in her way. However, he did not seem threatening to her. According to several media reports, Daniels then described the sexual intercourse as something that she endured and was over quickly. Trump didn’t use a condom. That’s why she didn’t say no to him, “because I didn’t say anything at all.”
Dinner after a golf tournament
Trump met Daniels in 2006 at a golf tournament in Lake Tahoe on the border between the US states of California and Nevada and invited her to dinner. At that dinner, Daniels said he asked Trump if he had a wife. Trump responded by saying that he and his wife did not sleep in the same room. Trump and his wife Melania had married the year before. According to the witness’ statement, Trump also compared Daniels to his daughter during the conversation. According to the New York Times, it was probably Ivanka Trump.
According to media reports, Trump listened to the intimate and sometimes unpleasantly detailed descriptions with growing impatience. US commentators described this moment as particularly difficult to bear for Trump, who, as a billionaire businessman and influential politician, is used to being able to largely control what happens around him. Trump’s lawyers asked Judge Juan Merchan during questioning to dismiss the case because of the explicit and damaging content of Daniels’ testimony.
Merchan – who himself had appeared angry during the deposition – rejected the request, but agreed with the defense that some things would have been “better left unsaid.” He asked prosecutors to encourage Daniels to make less expansive statements. In fact, according to court observers, Daniels appeared much more focused afterward, rambled less and spoke more slowly. US media speculated about whether her testimony had damaged Trump because of embarrassing details or whether the witness had made herself less credible in the eyes of the jury.
During cross-examination, Trump’s lawyer Susan Necheles tried to portray the witness as a woman who was primarily interested in money and wanted to take advantage of Trump. According to media reports, Daniels strongly disagreed and repeatedly reiterated that her story was true.
A trial against Trump has been postponed until further notice
In Miami, where Trump was indicted last year for allegedly illegally storing highly sensitive information, the judge in charge announced a decision that was most welcome for the Republican. Aileen Cannon announced on Tuesday that the previously scheduled start of the trial on May 20th was canceled due to open legal questions. Trump appointed Cannon himself during his time as president. Critics accuse it of dragging out the process and processing applications extremely slowly. The latest decision is likely to further fuel this criticism, as it is considered unlikely that the document process will begin before the presidential election in November.
In total, Trump is facing four criminal cases against him in the election year. In addition to the hush money case in New York and the documents trial in Miami, there is also a federal election fraud case and another in the US state of Georgia. Trump’s lawyers are relying, among other things, on Trump’s presidential immunity from prosecution to stop proceedings against him. The U.S. Supreme Court is currently considering this central question in the context of the federal election fraud case. A decision is expected in a few weeks. This is likely to influence most other criminal proceedings against Trump.