Donald Trump’s trial got underway on Monday, with opening statements and the first witness taking the stand. Trump and his legal team asserted that the former president is unjustly accused of illegally concealing hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, declared, “He should not even be here today because he did nothing wrong.” The defense argued that payments like the $130,000 check issued to Daniels by Trump’s lawyer were not illegal.
However, prosecutors contend that Trump misrepresented the payments in official New York business records. They allege that Trump instructed his then-attorney, Michael Cohen, to pay the National Enquirer to secure exclusive rights to Daniels’ account of an alleged affair with Trump and ensure its suppression before the 2016 election.
David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, served as the prosecution’s first witness. Trump expressed frustration at his presence at the trial, stating, “I should be in Florida now. I should be in a lot of different places right now campaigning, and I’m sitting here.” Trump maintains that the case is part of a Democratic plot to hinder his campaign efforts.
Pecker is scheduled to continue his testimony on Tuesday.
