The trial of former President Donald Trump regarding alleged hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election began Monday in a Manhattan courthouse, with David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, as the first witness called to the stand.
Trump is facing 34 felony counts for falsifying business records related to the alleged hush money payments, marking the first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president. The jury selection was completed last week, and Trump made headlines for allegedly falling asleep during court sessions and expressing repeated complaints about the fairness of the trial.
Judge Juan Merchan has issued gag orders to prevent Trump from discussing the case publicly, but his continued comments and social media posts have drawn attention. The possibility of a former president being held in contempt of court and facing incarceration has sparked widespread speculation. A hearing on this matter is scheduled for Tuesday.
Due to Trump’s persistent public remarks, Assistant District Attorney Josh Steinglass announced Friday that he would not inform the defense team about the order in which prosecution witnesses would be called, a common but not mandatory courtesy. This lack of advance notice has added to the tension surrounding the trial.
During the trial’s opening day, the prosecution called Pecker to the stand, with his testimony focused on his role in allegedly aiding Trump’s efforts to “catch-and-kill” scandalous stories that could harm the former president’s reputation. The court does not permit television broadcasts, so CNN’s anchors provided live commentary based on their reporters’ updates from within the courtroom.
Anchor Jake Tapper highlighted that prosecutors asked Pecker to identify several office and cell phone numbers, likely to establish who communicated with whom regarding the alleged arrangements to cover up stories about extramarital affairs. Senior legal analyst Elie Honig noted that these questions were intended to “lay a foundation” through phone records for further investigation.
