After testifying in former President Donald Trump's Manhattan election interference trial, adult film star Stormy Daniels took to X, formerly Twitter, to dare him to respond to her testimony by "taking the stand" himself.
Daniels provided testimony in Trump's trial that sheds light on their alleged sexual encounter in 2006. The criminal trial in New York revolves around accusations that Trump falsified business records in an attempt to conceal hush money payments made to Daniels to silence her ahead of the 2016 general election.
Daniels directed the following message at Trump:
"Real men respond to testimony by being sworn in and taking the stand in court. Oh...wait. Nevermind."
You can see her post below.
Daniels' remark came after Trump's attorneys failed to convince Judge Juan Merchan to declare a mistrial based on Daniels’ testimony.
Trump's attorney Todd Blanche had asked Merchan to modify a gag order to let Trump address Daniels' testimony publicly. Merchan's denial marked the second time this week he's rejected the defense's bid for a mistrial.
Trump has not testified—but if he does, he'd open himself up to cross-examination, something his legal team no doubt wants to avoid.
And people loved how Daniels called him out on it.
Daniels testified for nearly five hours on Tuesday. She recalled her evening with Trump in 2006 at his luxurious Lake Tahoe hotel suite, where she was invited for dinner. Trump greeted her wearing silk pajamas and displayed rudeness, prompting her to playfully swat him with a rolled-up magazine. When she inquired about his wife, Trump reassured her that it was not an issue because they did not share the same bedroom.
Daniels went on to detail their sexual encounter, which occurred after she returned from the bathroom to find Trump in his boxer shorts and T-shirt. When she tried to leave, he blocked her way, though she noted it was not done in a threatening manner. She described the encounter as brief and mentioned a "power imbalance," while noting that she did not verbally refuse.
Her testimony prompted Trump to express his displeasure to his lawyers, muttering "bulls**t" loudly enough to receive a private reprimand from the judge, who deemed it "contemptuous."
On Thursday, Susan Necheles, another one of Trump's lawyers, tried to probe Daniels—who testified for seven hours—for inconsistencies. Daniels' testimony was described as "steadier" by The New York Times, which noted that she calmly pushed back against Necheles' attempt to get her to admit she had made up the story about sleeping with Trump.
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