On May 7, local time, on the 13th day of the "hush money" trial against former U.S. President Donald Trump, the "heroine" Stormy Daniels (real name: Stephanie Clifford) finally appeared.
The 45-year-old actress of color was photographed as she left the Manhattan Criminal Court, dressed in black with glasses and a multi-layered chin indicating that her youth had passed.
Daniels appeared in court as a prosecution witness, but no photos of the scene were given, and only the works of the courtroom painter can give a general idea of what she looked like when she sat in the witness stand, but her words were fully recounted, and the attitude of Trump as the plaintiff when she told it.
Although she was dressed more modestly, Daniels in the courtroom really did not give up her old business, and "too vividly" described some details of her and Trump's private interactions, even including the posture when they were "intimate".
Judge Juan Merchamp objected because it was too unpalatable, stating that "the level of detail is unnecessary".
According to reporters at the scene, Daniels recounted how he once hit the former president on the buttocks with a magazine.
"Somebody should spank you with this [magazine]," she recalled while claiming the former president was arrogant. And this also led to the fact that Trump gave her a "look" that looked like a provocation.
"So I took it from him, and I said turn around, and I just spanked him," Daniels, ignoring the "defiant look," went on to tell the jurors, "and he's pretty well-behaved."
Some jurors couldn't help but laugh at such a detailed description, "one of the female jurors rubbed her face while trying to hold back her laughter. ”
Daniels appeared a little irritated as he testified, spoke very quickly, and gestured with his hands from time to time.
She also mentioned Melania Trump. Daniels said that when she was alone with Trump, he showed her several photos, which made her wonder "Oh, where's your wife?" "Such a doubt, because Melania had only been Mrs. Trump for a year at the time." Don't worry, we don't even sleep in the same room," Ms. Daniels said said that's how Trump answered her at the time.
Trump, who was sitting in the dock, shook his head at such a statement.
As for how he met Trump, Daniels said it was at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, which is evidenced by photos and is almost the only public photo of Trump and Daniels.
Ms. Daniels said she and Mr. Trump developed a crush on each other after joking about each other, which eventually led to their relationship, during which time she was encouraged by her publicist that if she had a relationship with Mr. Trump, it would be a great story.
"I went to his luxury hotel suite and found him dressed in Hugh Hefner-style silk or satin pajamas. I asked him to swap it out," Daniels recalls the first time they met in private.
Mr. Trump, who is preparing to run in the 2024 presidential election, is accused of having his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, pay $130,000 to Daniels before the 2016 election to prevent her from going public about what she claimed they had "hooked up" with while he was married. Trump is accused of trying to cover up the fact of "hush money" by using $130,000 as a "legal expense."
The former president has denied the accusations and said the trial was motivated by his persecution.