Trump lawyer accuses Stormy Daniels of ‘making money’ out of sex claim

Donald Trump’s lawyers accused Stormy Daniels of “making money” by claiming to have had an affair with the former president.

Susan Necheles, acting for the defence, also suggested the adult film star wanted Mr Trump to be sent to prison following his “hush money” trial to avoid paying him half a million dollars in legal fees.

“You’ve been making money by claiming to have had sex with president Trump for more than a decade, right?”, she asked Stormy Daniels.

“I’ve been making money by telling my story about what happened to me”, Ms Daniels replied, before adding that it had also cost her money.

Ms Necheles then asked her if she wanted Mr Trump to be convicted, so that she did not have to pay the $560,000 she owes him from a failed defamation claim.

Ms Daniels answered: “I hope I don’t have to pay him no matter what happens.”

09:46 PM BST

That’s all for now

Thanks for following our live coverage of Donald Trump’s “hush money” trial. This live blog is now closed.

09:37 PM BST

Trump: Trial is a disaster for Manhattan DA

Donald Trump claimed his hush money trial had turned into a “disaster” for the Manhattan district attorney and claimed it had been widely condemned by “legal scholars”.

“It’s a disgrace,” he added. “In the meantime, I’m stuck... We’re stuck in this trial which everyone knows is a hoax.”

He also referred to the rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan 6 2021 as “hostages” and hit out at pro-Palestinian protesters, saying they were “really hurting our country”.

09:28 PM BST

Jury is dismissed

Mr Merchan is dismissing the jury, court is adjourned after an explosive day.

09:28 PM BST

‘She wants 100k’

The jury is now being shown messages between Gina Rodriguez, Ms Daniels’ former manager, and Dylan Howard,the former editor, of the National Enquirer from June 28 2016.

“I have her”, Ms Rodriguez said in an email.

“Is she ready to talk?”, Mr Howard replied. “I thought she denounced it previously”, he added.

Ms Rodriguez replied saying Ms Daniels said she would do it on two conditions.

“She doesn’t want to go on record about it but will tell the story through a source”.

“She’s had sex with him. She wants 100k”, the message reads.

09:23 PM BST

Daniels accused of trying to extort Trump

Susan Necheles said: “You were looking to extort money from president Trump, right?”

Ms Daniels replied: “False.”

“Well that’s what you did right?”, Ms Necheles added.

“False”, Ms Daniels said again.

09:18 PM BST

‘Hush money’ payment was really legal expense, claims Trump

09:16 PM BST

Trump: It’s going very well

Before Donald Trump walked back into the courtroom following a short break, he was asked: “Mr Trump, how’s it going in there?”

Mr Trump held his right hand to his mouth and said: “Very well.”

09:02 PM BST

‘You were buddies with Cohen’

“Now you and Michael Cohen are buddies, right? Susan Necheles said.

“I wouldn’t say we’re buddies,” Ms Daniels replied.

Ms Necheles said both Ms Daniels and Cohen “share a desire to make money” from stories about Mr Trump.

The prosecution objected to the question, it was sustained. The court is now taking a short break.

09:00 PM BST

Donald Trump’s lawyers seek mistrial over Stormy Daniels’ testimony

Donald Trump’s legal team unsuccessfully moved for a mistrial after Stormy Daniels gave evidence about her alleged sexual encounter with the former president.

Todd Blanche argued that her testimony about their alleged tryst was overly prejudicial to Mr Trump’s “hush money” trial - including the fact that he was said not to wear a condom.

Ms Daniels had breached the “guardrails” set by the court while prosecutors asked questions to “inflame this jury”, he claimed.

Mr Blanche added that Justice Juan Merchan, who repeatedly sustained the defence’s objections during Ms Daniels’ testimony, could not instruct the jury to “unring this bell”.

Justice Merchan denied the mistrial motion, saying the defence had to bear some responsibility for not issuing more objections as she gave evidence.

Ms Daniels, an adult film star, claimed she had an affair with Mr Trump in 2006 after meeting him at a golf tournament.

08:59 PM BST

Daniels ‘wants to make money out of Trump’

Susan Necheles claimed Stormy Daniels believes she has to talk about her alleged affair to make money out of Donald Trump.

“If you want to make money about President Trump, you better talk about sex,” the lawyer said. Ms Daniels responded: “No, although that does seem to be the case. Sadly.”

08:47 PM BST

‘You’re making this up as you sit there’

Stormy Daniels said she had had a conversation with lawyer Gloria Allred in 2011 about having sex with Mr Trump.

She said Ms Allred “wanted me to accuse him of forced… basically rape”.

In a spiky exchange, Susan Necheles responded: “You’re making this up as you sit there, right?”

08:43 PM BST

Daniels asked if she considered suing Trump in 2011

Asked if she had spoken to a lawyer in 2011 about winning damages Donald Trump, Stormy Daniels responded: “I don’t remember”.

08:40 PM BST

Daniels accused of ‘making money’ out of Trump story

“You’ve been making money by claiming to have had sex with president Trump for more than a decade, right?”, Susan Necheles asked Stormy Daniels.

“I’ve been making money by telling my story about what happened to me”, Ms Daniels replied, before adding that it had also cost her money.

Asked whether she hopes Mr Trump is convicted so she doesn’t have to pay him the more than $500,000 she owes him, Ms Daniels said: “I hope I don’t have to pay him no matter what happens.”

08:32 PM BST

Pictured: Stormy Daniels gives evidence in ‘hush money’ trial

08:30 PM BST

Daniels: I don’t know if I will pay Trump legal fees

Susan Necheles, acting for Donald Trump, said there were three court orders for Stormy Daniel Daniels to pay the former president some $560,000 in legal fees.

“You are not going to do that, right?” she asked. Ms Daniels replied: “I don’t know.”

08:27 PM BST

‘I’ll never give that orange turd a dime’

This cross-examination is beginning to sound like school children bickering on a playground.

Ms Necheles just pulled up a Tweet by Ms Daniels from November 2022.

“I don’t owe him s--- and I’ll never give that orange turd a dime”, it read, appearing to reference the fees Ms Daniels owes Mr Trump from a defamation case.

Ms Necheles said Ms Daniels hates Mr Trump and makes fun of his appearance.

“Only because he made fun of me first”, Ms Daniels said.

08:18 PM BST

Daniels ‘laughs off’ tweet about Trump going to prison

Stormy Daniels laughed as she was questioned about a tweet in which she claimed she would dance “down the street” if Trump was “selected” to go to prison.

The adult film star said she was amused by the use of the word “selected” . “It isn’t because you think this is all funny?” she was asked.

08:14 PM BST

‘I just want Trump to be held accountable’

Stormy Daniels was asked by the prosecution about what she previously described as “gruelling” prep sessions with prosecutors.

“Am I correct that you hate president Trump?”, Susan Necheles asked.

“Yes”, Ms Daniels replied.

Asked if she wants him to “go to jail”, Ms Daniels responds: “I want him to be held accountable”.

08:11 PM BST

Stormy Daniels: I hate Donald Trump

“Am I correct that you hate President Trump?” Stormy Daniels was asked. “Yes, she responded.

Asked if she wanted Donald Trump to go to prison, Ms Daniels said: “If he’s found guilty - absolutely”.

08:08 PM BST

Daniels denies rehearsing testimony

Stormy Daniels was asked by Susan Necheles if she had rehearsed her testimony before she gave evidence. “No,” she answered.

08:06 PM BST

Defence starts cross-examination

Susan Necheles is now cross-examining Stormy Daniels.

08:03 PM BST

Daniels: Cohen apologised to me on podcast

Stormy Daniels said she went on Michael Cohen’s podcast because she “wanted him to apologise”.

Asked if Cohen said sorry for his role in covering up the alleged affair, Ms Daniels answered: “He did.”

08:00 PM BST

Pictured: Trump in court for fourth week of trial

07:53 PM BST

Daniels: I wanted to stand up for myself

Stormy Daniels said she was upset that Michael Cohen could speak about the alleged affair in public while she was bound by an NDA.

She said she hired a lawyer, Michael Avenatti, to extricate herself from the agreement “so I could stand up for myself”.

07:46 PM BST

Daniels: My life turned into chaos

Stormy Daniels said her life turned into “chaos” when a Wall Street Journal article in Jan 2018 reported that she had been paid $130,000 to keep the alleged affair quiet.

07:40 PM BST

Daniels ‘signed Trump story NDA in Oct 2016’

Stormy Daniels said she authorised Keith Davidson, a lawyer who has previously testified, to cancel a deal with Michael Cohen to buy her story.

This was because “the funds hadn’t been sent”, she told the court.

She later signed an NDA in late October 2016 when the deal was revived, saying she believed the agreement was with Donald Trump.

After Mr Davidson and her manager took their fees from the $130,000 payment, Ms Daniels said she was left with “approximately $96,000.”

07:31 PM BST

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07:29 PM BST

‘Some things were better left unsaid’

Juan Merchan continued: “As a threshold matter, I agree... that there were some things that probably would’ve been better left unsaid.”

“Having said that, I don’t believe we’re at a point where a mistrial is warranted.”

Stormy Daniels has re-entered the courtroom, having given evidence for around two hours earlier today.

07:26 PM BST

Mistrial motion denied

Juan Merchan denied the Trump team’s motion for a mistrial, saying the defence had to “take some responsibility” for not objecting more during Stormy Daniels’ testimony.

07:19 PM BST

Prosecutors: Daniels story shows motive for hush money scheme

Susan Hoffinger, prosecuting, argued that Stormy Daniels’ testimony was necessary to show Donald Trump’s motive for embarking on the alleged hush money scheme.

Her account “is precisely what the defendant did not want to become public,” she said.

07:07 PM BST

Trump team move for mistrial

Todd Blanche, acting for Donald Trump, has moved for a mistrial after Stormy Daniels’ testimony, claiming that she breached “guardrails” set by the court.

“A lot of the testimony that this witness talked about today is way different than the story she was peddling in 2016,” he added.

07:02 PM BST

Court resumes

Justice Juan Merchan is back on the bench. Court is now in session.

07:00 PM BST

Trump re-enters courtroom

Donald Trump has returned to the courtroom as his “hush money” trial resumes following a lunch break. He waved to reporters but did not answer questions.

06:55 PM BST

Pictured: Publishing executive gives evidence about Trump books

05:53 PM BST

Court breaks for lunch

Court has now broken for lunch.

05:44 PM BST

Daniels: Trump and Cohen offered $130,000 for story

Stormy Daniels said Donald Trump and Michael Cohen offered her $130,000 for the rights to her story. “I didn’t care about the amount,” she claimed.

05:43 PM BST

Daniels ‘motivated by fear, not money’

Stormy Daniels said she was “motivated out of fear, not money” to tell her story about her tryst with Donald Trump.

When she found out Mr Trump and Cohen were interested in buying the rights to her story she was pleased as there would be a record of a “money exchange” but her husband wouldn’t find out.

Ms Daniels said the fee was $130,000 but she “didn’t care about the amount” she was “just happy to get it done”.

“I didn’t care about the money”, she told the court.

05:39 PM BST

‘My motivation wasn’t the money’

Stormy Daniels said her publicist, Gina Rodriguez, was not able to sell her story of her encounter with Donald Trump until the “Access Hollywood” tape was released.

She said she never thought of approaching Donald Trump to buy it, adding: “My motivation wasn’t money. It was to get the story out.”

05:32 PM BST

Daniels ‘threatened not to tell Trump affair story’

Stormy Daniels said she gave an interview to InTouch magazine in 2011 about her tryst with Donald Trump.

She was going to be paid $15,000 for the story and gave a 10 to 20 minute interview. The story never ran.

Later that year when she and her daughter were going to a “mummy and me workout thing” in Las Vegas she was approached by a man in a parking lot.

“He approached me and threatened me not to continue to tell my story”, she said.

Asked to clarify which story, she said: “About my encounter with Mr Trump”.

Ms Daniels didn’t go to the police because “he told me not to say anything at all and I was scared”.

05:29 PM BST

Pictured: Daniels gives evidence as Trump looks on

05:18 PM BST

Daniels ‘met Karen McDougal at Trump event’

Stormy Daniels said she met Karen McDougal in 2007 at the launch of his Trump vodka brand.

She said she didn’t know who she was at the time.

Donald Trump “kept asking” if she would go back with him that night, Ms Daniels said. She came up with an excuse not to go.

Mr Trump said if she was ever in New York they should “get together”.

When she was dancing in Manhattan she called Mr Trump as she thought it would be “great if I could get him to go to the club”.

They ended up meeting at Trump Tower.

Asked why she wanted to meet at the club she said it was a “public place” and would be “safer”. The defence objected - their objection was sustained.

05:14 PM BST

Trump mouths ‘bulls---’ during spanking story

Donald Trump appeared to mouth “bulls---” in court as Stormy Daniels claimed she spanked the former president using a magazine with his face on it.

Mr Trump is accused of falsifying business records to conceal “hush money” payments to the adult film star to conceal their alleged affair in 2006.

Ms Daniels said she had been invited to Mr Trump’s hotel room for dinner, having met him briefly at a golf tournament.

She told the court she told him off for being “rude” and “pompous” during their conversation and spanked him “right on the butt” with a rolled-up magazine.

“He was much more polite” afterwards, Ms Daniels said.

Mr Trump, who is bound by a gag order from intimidating witnesses and jurors, appeared to be mouthing the word “bulls---” as she told the story.

05:04 PM BST

Defence objects to details of affair

Stormy Daniels said she was “On the bed… I had my clothes and my shoes off”.

She then went on to describe how they were in the “missionary position”, to which the defence objected.

“Did you end up having sex with him on the bed?”, Susan Hoffinger asked. “Yes”, Ms Daniels replied, adding: “I was staring at the ceiling - I didn’t know how I got there.”

Ms Hoffinger asked Ms Daniels if she touched Mr Trump’s skin - the defence objected again.

She said Mr Trump wasn’t wearing a condom and she didn’t say anything about it. ”Was it brief?”, Ms Hoffinger asked. ”Yes”, Ms Daniels replied.

05:02 PM BST

‘There was an imbalance of power’

Stormy Daniels was stopped several times while recounting details from her alleged sexual encounter with Mr Trump.

Ms Daniels said she had “blacked out” but was “not drugged” and hadn’t been drinking.

She said Mr Trump was “definitely several inches taller and much larger” but she didn’t feel “threatened” by him.

“There was an imbalance of power for sure, he was bigger and blocking the way… but I was not threatened verbally or physically”.

“At some point did you end up on the bed having sex with him?” Ms Hoffinger asked.

“Very briefly”, Ms Daniels replied.

04:59 PM BST

Daniels: Trump didn’t ask me to stay quiet about affair

Stormy Daniels said that Donald Trump did not tell her to keep their affair quiet or express concern that his wife could find out after their encounter.

“I told very few people that we had actually had sex because I felt ashamed that I didn’t stop it,” she added.

Ms Daniels said she found it “really hard to get my shoe on because my hands were shaking so hard” and “left as fast as I could”.

04:52 PM BST

‘The intention was pretty clear’

Stormy Daniels continued: “The intention was pretty clear, somebody stripped down to their underwear and is posing for you.

“He stood up between me and the door. Not in a threatening manner. He didn’t come at me, he didn’t rush at me. Nothing like that.”

04:49 PM BST

Trump ‘was posing on the bed’

Stormy Daniels is getting to the moment she claims she and Donald Trump had sex.

She said she came out of the bathroom to find him “posing” on the bed.

“I just thought to myself ‘great, I put myself in this bad situation - what do I do?’”, she said.

04:48 PM BST

Trump ‘told Daniels he did not sleep in same room as Melania’

Donald Trump told Stormy Daniels that he did not sleep in the same room as his wife before having an affair with the adult film star, the court heard.

Ms Daniels, a central figure in Mr Trump’s “hush money trial”, said she had first met him at a golf tournament in 2006, after which he invited her for dinner at his hotel room.

The former president was dressed in silk pyjamas when she arrived, Ms Daniels told the New York court. He changed clothes when she told him looked like Playboy founder Hugh Hefner.

They then had a “very brief” discussion about Melania Trump, who had recently given birth to Mr Trump’s youngest son, Barron.

Ms Daniels said she told the former president his wife was “very beautiful”, to which he replied: “We don’t even sleep in the same room”.

04:43 PM BST

Stormy Daniels details ‘are just not necessary’

Juan Merchan just told prosecution lawyer Susan Hoffinger “the degree of detail [Stormy Daniels is going into] is just not necessary”.

He said details of the floor and the conversations they had were not necessary.

Ms Daniels is now back on the stand.

04:31 PM BST

‘You remind me of my daughter’

Stormy Daniels said Donald Trump suggested she should go on his reality TV show, “Celebrity Apprentice”, and compared her to his daughter.

“I said, ‘even you don’t have this much power,’” she told the court.

Mr Trump apparently responded: “You remind me of my daughter because she’s smart, blonde and beautiful and people underestimate her.”

04:29 PM BST

Trump mouths ‘bulls--t’ as Daniels gives evidence

Stormy Daniels recounted how she told Donald Trump off for being “rude” and “pompous” when they were chatting.

She then described spanking him “right on the butt” with a rolled up magazine.

Mr Trump could be seen mouthing “bulls--t” as she told the story.

“He was much more polite” afterwards, Ms Daniels said.

The court is now on a short break.

04:26 PM BST

Stormy Daniels asked to slow down

Stormy Daniels is speaking so quickly she has been asked to slow down twice.

04:16 PM BST

Trump ‘said he didn’t sleep in same room as Melania’

Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels had a “very brief” discussion about Melania Trump during their meeting.

Ms Daniels said: “I said she’s very beautiful.”

Mr Trump replied: “We don’t even sleep in the same room”.

04:11 PM BST

Daniels: Trump asked if I had children or was married

Stormy Daniels said Donald Trump asked her whether she had children, was married or had a boyfriend. She answered that she did not.

She also recalled him enquiring about her work as an adult film actress, asking: “Do you get health insurance? What about testing? Are you worried about STDs?”

04:10 PM BST

‘What could possibly go wrong’

When Stormy Daniels asked her publicist whether she should go for dinner with Donald Trump he said “If nothing else you’ll get a great story”.

“What could possibly go wrong?” Ms Daniels added, laughing.

She is currently detailing how she went up to meet Mr Trump at his penthouse hotel room.

“He was wearing silk or satin pyjamas… I said, ‘Does Mr Hefner know you stole his pyjamas’, Ms Daniels said, before clarifying she meant Hugh Hefner, the former Playboy founder.

“I told him to go change and so he obliged very politely”, she added.

04:04 PM BST

Trump bodyguard’s number ‘still saved on phone’

Stormy Daniels testified that she saved Keith Schiller’s number in her phone as “Keith Trump”. The number is still on her phone, she added.

04:02 PM BST

Trump ‘sent bodyguard to invite Daniels for dinner’

Stormy Daniels said Mr Trump’s bodyguard Keith Schiller later approached Ms Daniels and said “that Mr Trump was interested in having me join him for dinner.”

“And what did you say”, Ms Hoffinger asked.

“F no”, Ms Daniels replied.

Asked to clarify what she meant, Ms Daniels said “no” with an expletive in front.

04:01 PM BST

Daniels identifies Trump in courtroom

Ms Daniels was just asked to identify Mr Trump in the courtroom.

She ducked manoeuvered herself to be able to see him from the witness stand, before pointing and saying: “Navy blue jacket, second on the table”.

The jury is now being shown the infamous picture of Mr Trump and Ms Daniels in the gift room at the golf club.

03:57 PM BST

Trump ‘older than my father’

Stormy Daniels is now detailing the day she met Donald Trump at a celebrity golf course at Lake Tahoe in July 2006.

She said the adult film company “Wicked pictures” had sponsored one of the holes.

”Yes I know its very funny that we are an adult film company sponsoring one of the holes”, Ms Daniels said.

She said she had a “very brief encounter” with Mr Trump initially.

He said she was introduced to Mr Trump as a contract star and director.

He told her: “you direct too, you must be the smart one”, she said.

Ms Daniels said he was “as old or older than my father”, who was 60 at the time.

03:52 PM BST

‘It was a very brief encounter’

Stormy Daniels said she first met Donald Trump while working at a celebrity golf tournament in July 2006. “It was a very brief encounter,” she said.

03:48 PM BST

Trump’s name mentioned for first time

Donald Trump’s name was just brought up for the first time during Stormy Daniels’ testimony.

Prosecution lawyer Susan Hoffinger asked whether Ms Daniels discussed “Trump or your experiences with him” on her podcast about politics.

“Yes of course”, Ms Daniels replied, before going on to say how she was later fired because she was “reluctant to keep talking about just that one narrative”.

Mr Trump is sitting in his usual posture - shoulders hunched, eyes closed.

03:47 PM BST

Daniels writing two books

Stormy Daniels said she has written one book called “Full Disclosure”, which includes details of her alleged affair with Donald Trump.

She added that she was finishing two other books, which are expected to come out next year.

03:42 PM BST

Daniels smiling and giggling as she gives evidence

Stormy Daniels appears to have settled in now, she is using large gestures as she describes her career as a dancer at a club.

Ms Daniels is also looking at the jury - at times smiling at them and giggling as though she is speaking to a group of friends as she recounts how she became an adult actress.

“Honestly I was scared to do it”, she says of when she was asked to be in a porn film aged 23.

03:37 PM BST

Stormy Daniels takes witness stand

Stormy Daniels walked in with an air of confidence, smiling at the prosecution table as she entered the room.

She’s dressed in a black outfit – a long cardigan with a hood and a dress underneath.

Mr Trump didn’t appear to react when she entered the room, but looked at her as she sat down on the witness stand.

Ms Daniels’ voice trembled slightly when she confirmed her name. She asked the prosecution to refer to her as Stormy Daniels rather than her given name - Stephanie Clifford.

She is describing her upbringing in Louisiana.

03:32 PM BST

‘The people call Stormy Daniels’

And we’re off - “The People call Stormy Daniels”.

03:25 PM BST

Stormy Daniels expected to be called next

Sally Franklin has stepped down - Stormy Daniels is expected to be called next.

03:16 PM BST

Pictured: Eric Trump watches his father address reporters

03:15 PM BST

Ghost writers ‘never write entire books for author’

During his cross-examination, Todd Blanche asked how much input Meredith McIver, the ghost writer who worked with Donald Trump, had in his books.

Sally Franklin said she did not know what specific role Ms McIver had played.

Rebecca Mangold pushed back on the defence’s suggestion Mr Trump had limited involvement in writing his books.

“In your experience do ghost writers ever write entire books for the author?”, she asked during the prosecution’s redirect.

“No,” Ms Franklin replied.

03:05 PM BST

Franklin cross-examined by Trump team

Sally Franklin is now being cross-examined by defence lawyer Todd Blanche.

02:58 PM BST

‘Penny pinching, I’m all for it’

Sally Franklin is reading excerpts from Mr Trump’s book “Think like a Billionaire”.

“As I said, I always sign my cheques, so I know where my money is going”, one passage says.

She also read an excerpt in which Mr Trump describes how he cashed a cheque for 50 cents.

“Penny pinching, you bet, I’m all for it”, he said.

02:55 PM BST

‘All the women on The Apprentice flirted with me’

Another quote was read out to court: “All the women on The Apprentice flirted with me - consciously or unconsciously. That’s to be expected. A sexual dynamic is always present between people, unless you are asexual.”

02:52 PM BST

Court shown ‘How to Get Rich’ cover

After the flurry of excitement regarding Stormy Daniels’ testimony, the court is now being shown Mr Trump’s book cover for his book “How to Get Rich”.

Prosecutor Rebecca Mangold asked Ms Franklin what percentage of the book cover is taken up with the word “Trump”.

She was then asked to read excerpts of the book including: “If you don’t know every aspect of what you’re doing down to the paperclips, you’re setting yourself up for some unwelcome surprises.”

Another read: “An eye for an eye”.

02:46 PM BST

Why is Sally Franklin giving evidence?

Sally Franklin will testify about two books apparently written by Donald Trump: “Trump: How to Get Rich” and “Trump: Think Like a Billionaire”.

Both were published by Ballantine, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

02:44 PM BST

Publishing executive called before Stormy Daniels

The first witness today is Sally Franklin, the senior vice president and executive managing editor at Penguin Random House.

02:42 PM BST

Description of sex act must be ‘brief’

Donald Trump watched intently as Susan Hollinger said the testimony “won’t involve descriptions of genitalia”.

Ms Necheles said there were “real questions about the credibility of this woman” and “we shouldn’t be getting details about how she felt about it [the sex act]”.

Ruling in favour of the prosecution, Mr Merchan said he was “satisfied” with their argument and will allow brief descriptions of the sexual act.

02:41 PM BST

Stormy Daniels ‘can discuss alleged sex act’

Judge Merchan has ruled in favour of the prosecution that Stormy Daniels can discuss her alleged sex act with Donald Trump while on the witness stand.

Susan Necheles, for the defence, said: “We were informed that the witness today - the second witness - will be Stormy Daniels.”

She then objected to Ms Daniels “testifying about any details about a sexual act”.

He asked whether she meant details “more than just ‘we had sex’”?

Susan Hollinger, for the prosecution said the details of the encounter are “important” but they could “omit certain details that might be too salacious”.

“The general details of what occurred including the sex act… are a significant part of the story... The details will be how she ended up having a sexual encounter… the full conversation is very, very important”, she added.

02:38 PM BST

‘The country is on fire’

Donald Trump declared “the country is on fire” as he criticised Joe Biden’s handling of student protests before heading into court this morning.

“The country is on fire. There are protests all over the country. I’ve never seen anything like this,” he told reporters.

“Many graduation ceremonies are being canceled, as you know, Columbia they’re cancelling, a lot of them, And we have a president that just refuses to talk because he can’t talk.”

02:36 PM BST

Trump team object to Daniels testimony

Donald Trump’s legal team objected to Stormy Daniels giving evidence at the former president’s hush money trial.

“We’re informed the second witness will be Stormy Daniels. We want to renew our objection to her testifying, particularly about any details of any sexual acts,” Susan Necheles, acting for Mr Trump, said.

Prosecutors responded that any description would be “very basic” and would not “involve any descriptions of genitalia”.

02:32 PM BST

Trump: ‘No time to prepare’ for Daniels questioning

Donald Trump complained about Stormy Daniels being called as a witness this morning on his Truth Social platform -- before subsequently deleting the post.

“I have just recently been told who the witness is today. This is unprecedented, no time for lawyers to prepare,” it read, according to US media.

02:29 PM BST

Fourth week of Trump trial underway

Justice Juan Merchan is on the bench - court is now in session.

02:28 PM BST

Trump enters courtroom with son and lawyer

Donald Trump strode into the courtroom followed by an entourage including his son Eric Trump and his trusted lawyer Alina Habba.

Mr Trump is wearing a yellow tie and freshly-pressed navy suit today.

02:27 PM BST

Telegraph has front row seat ahead of Stormy Daniels testimony

The Telegraph has a front row seat in the courtroom where Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels are expected to come face-to-face today.

The porn star’s name has come up continuously in proceedings -- and now the jury will finally get to see the star witness in the flesh.

During Monday’s testimony we heard how Mr Trump would sign $35,000 monthly cheques for his former “fixer” Michael Cohen from the White House.

The prosecution claims these instalments -- put through as payments for legal services -- were actually reimbursements for a $130,000 payment Cohen made in exchange for Ms Daniels’ silence.

02:20 PM BST

Who is adult film star Stormy Daniels?

Any hopes porn star Stormy Daniels might have had of retreating into a life of quiet domesticity with her fourth husband, fellow adult film performer Barrett Blade, and their horses on a ranch in Florida have evaporated.

Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury over a $130,000 (£105,000) hush money payment to the porn star, throwing the 2024 election into uncharted territory.

Michael D Cohen was already sentenced to three years in prison in 2018 after pleading guilty to tax evasion and campaign finance violations in relation to paying off Ms Daniels - real name Stephanie Clifford - and another woman, both of whom claimed to have had affairs with Mr Trump.

Read the full profile from US Correspondent David Millward here.

02:18 PM BST

Trump travelling to Manhattan Criminal Court

Donald Trump complained about New York’s congestion charge as he travelled from Trump Tower to lower Manhattan for the fourth week of his “hush money” trial.

“I can’t believe that New York City is instituting Congestion Pricing, where everyone has to pay  fortune for the ‘privilege’ of coming into the City, which is in desperate trouble without it,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“It is a big incentive not to come -- there are plenty of other places to go.

“It’s been a failure everywhere it has been tried, and woudl only work if a place were hot, hot, hot, which New York City is not right now.”

02:07 PM BST

Trump returns to trial facing threat of jail time

Donald Trump returns to his hush money trial today facing a threat of jail time for additional gag order violations.

Mr Trump said earlier on Tuesday that he was “recently told” who the witness would be on Tuesday and complained he should’ve been given more notice.

Judge Juan M. Merchan has found that Trump has repeatedly violated an order barring him from commenting publicly on witnesses, jurors and some others connected to the matter.

He has fined him $9,000 and warned that jail could follow if he doesn’t comply.