Judge Juan Merchan admits Stormy Daniels is a 'difficult to control' witness as he denies Trump's mistrial bid

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan denied Donald Trump’s bid for a mistrial on Tuesday, May 7, despite acknowledging Stormy Daniels’ challenging demeanor as a witness.

The star witness’ testimony regarding an alleged affair with Trump in 2006 was deemed "difficult" for prosecutors to manage, a sentiment echoed by Judge Merchan himself.

Stormy Daniels rocks the Manhattan courtroom with a graphic testimony

Trump’s defense attorney, Todd Blanche, made a plea for a mistrial during a break in hush money trial proceedings, arguing that Daniels’ testimony was unduly prejudicial to his client.

While Merchan rejected this motion, he conceded that certain aspects of her testimony could have been omitted, saying, "I believe that the witness was very difficult to control."

Throughout Daniels' testimony, the 77-year-old MAGA strongman remained engaged, jotting notes on a legal pad and exchanging words with his defense team.

Blanche contended that Daniels’ assertion of an "imbalance of power" between herself and Trump could unfairly sway the jury, although it was unrelated to the charges the ex-POTUS faces regarding falsifying business records.

In an effort to maintain focus, prosecutors conferred with Daniels outside the courtroom as she resumed her testimony later in the day.

Daniels recounted her initial encounter with Trump at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, in July 2006. She described their meeting as brief, recalling Trump’s age being comparable to her father’s.

The jury, visibly attentive, was presented with a photograph of Daniels and Trump together during the tournament. She went on to narrate subsequent encounters, including Trump’s invitation to dinner and discussions ranging from her career to sexually transmitted diseases.

Amid objections from Trump’s legal team, Daniels described her interactions with the former president in detail. She recounted moments of humor and discomfort, including Trump’s alleged proposition for her to appear on his TV show, 'The Apprentice', and their brief sexual encounter.

She further described their intimate encounter in his opulent hotel suite, claiming they had sex in the "missionary position." Notably, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee at the time allegedly did not wear a condom.

Despite objections and warnings from the judge about "unnecessary" detail, Daniels persisted in her testimony, elaborating on her encounters with Trump, including subsequent communications via the ex-POTUS' bodyguard, as per the New York Post.

Cross-examination of Daniels is scheduled to continue on Thursday morning.

Internet reacts to Judge Juan Merchan denying Donald Trump's mistrial bid

One expressed, "This judge is possibly the most corrupt piece of work sitting on the bench in America. There are probably others, they just haven't become high profile yet. But this guy, he has his own cheering section in hell," and another echoed, "This judge needs to go."

"He's a paid democratic puppet," claimed a person, as someone else fumed, "Difficult to Control? The prosecutors and the political hack in the black dress wanted exactly that 'testimony.'"

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