Former President Donald Trump’s son, Eric Trump, has denounced testimony from adult film actress Stormy Daniels as “garbage” during his father’s unprecedented trial in Manhattan. Daniels took the stand on Tuesday morning, providing detailed accounts of her alleged 2006 encounter with Trump, which included sexual relations. Trump has consistently denied any affair with Daniels, who has claimed Daniels was paid $130,000 by Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to silence her about the alleged incident. Trump, facing 34 counts of falsifying business records, has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors contend that the Trump Organization reimbursed Cohen and falsely classified these payments as legal expenses, seeking to establish that Trump altered records with the intent to conceal criminal activity.
Eric Trump, taking to social media, criticized prosecutors for their focus on “salacious show” rather than the merits of the case, casting the prosecutors as gleeful participants in a “massive extortion play.” Presiding Judge Juan Merchan cautioned prosecutors against excessive detail in their questioning of Daniels, emphasizing the unnecessary nature of excessive elaboration.
In her testimony, Daniels also described her entry into the pornography industry after working as an exotic dancer in her teenage years. These revelations follow Merchan’s warning to Trump of potential jail time for violating a gag order that prohibits public statements about witnesses, court staff, or their families. Trump, who has labeled the order as unconstitutional and an infringement on his free speech rights, has disregarded the order on multiple occasions, resulting in fines totaling $10,000. Merchan has indicated that he will consider jail time if Trump continues to breach the order.
Trump has declared his willingness to go to jail to defend the Constitution and free speech. “Our Constitution is much more important than jail. It’s not even close. I’ll do that sacrifice any day,” he remarked. Trump also addressed the media prior to Tuesday’s court session, asserting that news reports have failed to uncover a “smoking gun” in the trial and that prosecutors lack evidence. He attributed the case to political motivations from the White House and President Joe Biden. The trial is expected to continue as prosecutors present their case and Trump maintains his innocence and the alleged political nature of the proceedings.
