Stormy Daniels held firm in her account of an alleged affair with Donald Trump as the former president's defense attorney cross-examined her on the witness stand.
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The prosecution in Trump's Manhattan criminal trial called Daniels, 45, to testify this week about a sexual encounter she claims happened in 2006 with the former reality television star (an encounter Trump has repeatedly denied).
Throughout hours of cross-examination by the defense on Thursday, May 9 — during which courtroom reporters say Trump seemingly dozed off again — defense attorney Susan Necheles grilled Daniels about the details of her story and attempted to tarnish her credibility in front of the jury by bringing up her previous work as a medium and as an adult film actress and producer.
"You have a lot of experience in making phony stories about sex appear to be real," Necheles said at one point, to which Daniels — briefly taken back, according to a New York Times reporter — responded, "That's not how I would put it. ... The sex in the films is very much real, just like what happened to me in that room."
During the questioning Daniels was quick-thinking and at times defiant, challenging Necheles' mischaracterizations and highlighting that some of the defense's criticisms of her apply to Trump as well.
Necheles tried picking Daniels apart for calling Trump "orange turd," even as her client — who is known for spewing insults — nicknamed Daniels "horseface." When the defense accused Daniels of making money off her allegations and turning to online commerce, she said, "Not unlike Mr. Trump."