Donald Trump trial live updates: Stormy Daniels expected to take the stand in the hush money case

An attorney for Stormy Daniels says the porn actor is expected to appear as a witness in Donald Trump’s hush money trial on Tuesday.

Clark Brewster tells The Associated Press that Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, is ‘likely’ to be called as a witness in the trial on Tuesday.

Franklin is being taken through several pages of Trump’s book Think Like a Billionaire including the cove page and several excerpts which are being submitted into evidence.

The first excerpt she read is about working with a decorator, ‘make sure you ask to see all the invoices.’

She also reads an excerpt in a chapter about penny pinching where Trump writes he always signing his own checks and encourages bargaining for goods and services reading ‘even in high end shops, I bargain.’

Sally Franklin is being questioned about books being submitted into evidence including Trump How to Get Rich.

She’s describing the cover of the book as well as several pages of text.

Sally Franklin is a senior vice president for Penguin Random House.

Trump’s lawyer Susan Necheles started the day in court to objecting to porn star Stormy Daniels testifying about her alleged sexual act with Donald Trump.

‘We want to renew our objection to  the second witness, Stormy Daniels, in particular to her testifying about any details of a sexual act,’ Necheles said.

She said that it is ‘irrelevant’ and ‘unduly prejudicial’ and there would be no reason for it to be coming in.’

Judge Juan Merchan asked what she meant by ‘details of a sexual act’ questioning ‘what do you mean, more than just “we had sex?”’

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger said the judge had placed limits on the testimony of Karen McDougal and Dino Sadujin – other witnesses in case – but not Daniels.

Hoffinger said that describing the sex ‘completes the story of the events that precipitated the payoff before the election.’

She said: ‘The details of the encounter are important.’

‘We don’t need to know the details,’ Judge Merchan said, but he will allow it to be mentioned in her testimony.

Trump looks out into the public gallery as if he’s trying to spot someone. Unusual behavior for him.

He stood staring at the press benches for a while, as if sizing up the crowd for what will likely be a big day

Normally he just slumps in his chair.

Susan Necheles is to Trump’s right, meaning she is likely to cross examine Stormy.

His son Eric is sat behind him alongside one of his attorneys, Alina Habba.

Trump is smiling and whispering in Necheles’ ear.

He’s wearing a gold tie and a navy suit.

Donald Trump has arrived at the Manhattan crimimal court and is speaking outside the courtroom.

The ex-president slammed the trial claiming they have no case.

He also discussed the payments to his former lawyer Michael Cohen calling them ‘legal expenses.’

He was joined by his lawyer Todd Blanche.

Prosecutors have arrived in the courtroom ahead of the start of Day 13 of the trial.

Donald Trump threatened to put a celebrity publicist out of business if she helped Stormy Daniels sell her story in 2012, according to messages entered into court evidence this week.

The bombshell claims come in instant messages between Gina Rodriguez and National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard.

At the time of their exchange, interest in Trump had reached fever pitch.

He was the clear frontrunner for the 2016 Republican nomination and Howard’s then boss last week explained how he had agreed to hunt out negative stories in what prosecutors claim was a ‘catch and kill’ agreement to help his campaign.

‘I also had Donald Trump call my office 4 years ago when Stormy Daniels was going to do the Trump mistress story,’ Rodriguez wrote in April 2016.

‘He threatened that I would never do business again in entertainment.’

Donald Trump has departed Trump Tower in his motorcade.

He is expected at the Manhattan criminal court this morning where Stormy Daniels is expected to take the stand in the hush money case.

Before leaving, the ex-president paused to wave to onlookers before climbing into a vehicle.

She claimed that Trump had paid her a $130,000 ‘hush money’ payment to keep quiet about their sexual encounter in the run-up to the 2016 election.

Following New York prosecutors’ investigations into the payment, a grand jury in March 2023 indicted Trump on charges linked to business and fraud.

Donald Trump has now deleted a Truth Social post he had put up earlir this morning claims he had been told the identity of today’s witness.

In the post, he had called calling the witness ‘unprecedented.’

The former president also risked violating the gag order again. He has already been found in contempt for violating gag order ten times.

Donald Trump claims he has just been told the identity of today’s witness and claimed his lawyers have been given ‘no time to prepare’.

‘This is unprecedented,’ he railed on Truth Social before deleting the post.

The former president also risked violating the gag order again.

‘No Judge has ever run a trial in such a biased and partisan way. He is CROOKED & HIGHLY CONFLICTED, even taking away my First Amendment Rights.

‘Now he’s threatening me with JAIL, & THEY HAVE NO CASE – This according to virtually all Legal Scholars & Experts! Why isn’t the Fake News Media reporting his Conflict?’

Prosecutors in Trump’s hush money case told Judge Merchan they could wrap their case two weeks from tomorrow.

That would mean the prosecution rests May 21. Merchan said he would not hold them to it.

Trump decried that it’s a ‘political witch hunt’ and a ploy to keep him off the election trail for another few weeks.

A fired-up Trump spoke to reporters before departing the courthouse.

Trump railed against the latest gag order violation handed down today by Judge Merchan against him.

He was threatened with serving jail time and has to pay $10,000 in fines for speaking out about the jury, witnesses and the judge.

But it didn’t seem to bother the former president, who told reporters as he departed court that he’d be willing to serve time to protect the First Amendment.

‘I have to watch every word I tell you people,’ he lamented.

‘Yes, we have questions, a simple question – I’d like to give it but I can’t talk about it because this judge has given me a gag order and said you’ll go to jail if you violate.’

‘And frankly, you know what, our Constitution is much more important than jail. It’s not even close. I’ll do that sacrifice any day.’

Witnesses walked prosecutors step by step through the payments to Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen from the Trump Organization on Monday as the prosecution laid out its paper trail in the hush money case against Donald Trump.

Two longtime employees of the Trump Organization were called to the stand to testify in the case: Jeff McConney, a former controller who retired last year as well as Deborah Tarasoff who works in accounting and issued checks.

During McConney’s testimony, the jury was shown a series of documents including invoices, checks, spreadsheets and handwritten notes as the witness walked through how Cohen was ‘reimbursed’ for the alleged hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

In total, McConney testified that Cohen was paid $420,000 including money from Trump’s revocable trust and then from his personal account.

McConney recalled a conversation he had with Allen Weisselberg, who was chief financial officer of the Trump Organization about owing Cohen money.

Donald Trump returns to the hush money trial on Tuesday after the judge warned he faces jail if he violates the gag order again.

The former president was found in contempt of court and fined $1,000 by Judge Juan Merchan who admonished him for a ‘direct attack on the rule of law’.

The 77-year-old was warned he could face a stint behind bars he continues flouting the laws of the court.

Trump ended his day in court by suggesting he’s willing to go to jail to keep railing against his case.

Trump complained about the gag order that bars him from talking about jurors, witnesses and some others connected to the trial, telling reporters: ‘I have to watch every word I tell you people … because this judge has given me a gag order and said you’ll go to jail if you violate it.’

‘And frankly, you know what? Our Constitution is much more important than jail,’ he went on. “It’s not even close. I’ll do that sacrifice any day.”