Donald Trump trial live updates: Hope Hicks breaks down in tears and says ex-president 'really valued' Melania's opinion
By Daniel Bates In New York For Dailymail.com and Rob Crilly, Senior Political Reporter In New York and Sarah Ewall-Wice, Senior U.S. Political Reporter
Published: | Updated:
Donald Trump's former communications aide Hope Hicks took the stand in a blockbuster moment in the hush money trial.
Hicks was Trump’s press secretary during the campaign, and has knowledge of what was happening in the final weeks before the 2016 election.
During that time, the deal with Stormy Daniels was negotiated.
Follow the coverage live from DailyMail.com's reporters in the courtroom
This live blog has now closed.
Hope Hicks breaks down in tears while Trump shows no emotion: How nervous aide kept her eyes off her old boss while she delivered tearful and devastating testimony
Hope Hicks did not so much walk to the witness box as glide.
With highlighted curls splayed across her shoulders and her cheek bones picked out dramatically with blusher, she looked every inch the communications professional an confidant that she had once been for Donald Trump.
But the mask slipped under the steady gaze of her former boss as prosecutor Matthew Colangelo introduced himself.
She gave a fragile smile and asked if she is close enough to the microphone. 'I'm really nervous,' she admitted.
Trump twisted his head to watch as the first of the prosecution's major witnesses, one who was at the heart of his 2016 campaign, began giving evidence.
The bombshell moments of Hope Hicks' teary testimony
Donald Trump's one-time right hand woman Hope Hicks took the stand where she delivered riveting testimony on her experience with the ex-president at the Trump Organization, his wild 2016 campaign and ending up at the center of the political universe in the White House.
Hicks was an ultimate insider in Trump world and appeared in court on Friday having been subpoenaed in the hush money case.
The 35-year-old, who is getting married this summer, gave detailed testimony on working for Trump and at one point even burst into tears.
Hicks was a key figure in handling the 2016 campaign's responses to the Access Hollywood tape as well as damage control over Trump's alleged affairs with Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels.
Hicks first joined the Trump Organization in 2014, where she worked closely with the Trump family. By 2015, Hicks spoke with Trump every day either in person or by phone.
Judge sides with Trump lawyer and rejects request ex-president be cross-examined over contempt
After the jury were dismissed for the day, the court heard arguments on whether Trump can be cross-examined on the decision by the judge last week that he committed contempt by breaching a gag order nine times.
Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche said that it would create a ‘sideshow.'
He said there is a ‘risk of prejudice because it's in this courtroom with your honor is greater than it otherwise would be.'
Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo said that the ruling was ‘directly relevant to the defendant’s credibility' but the judge sided with Trump's lawyer and rejected the request.
He said that ‘for a jury to hear that this court, the same judge presiding over this case has found Mr Trump to be in contempt on this case, it would be so prejudicial, it would be very very difficult for a jury to look past that.'
Hicks testifies how she believes Trump didn't want anyone in his family hurt
From Rob Crilly, Senior Political Reporter inside court
Defense is now getting to the meat of one of its key points: That if there was any money paid to silence people it was not to manipulate the election, it was to protect Trump's wife and family.
Hicks is being asked about how heavily all of this was weighing on Trump and his home life, and how he respected and valued the feelings about his wife.
'Absolutely I don't think he wanted anyone in his family to be hurt or embarrassed by anything that was happening on the campaign. He wanted them to be proud of him,' Hicks says.
Hicks talks about Cohen 'inserting himself' and going 'rogue' during 2016 campaign
Hope Hicks testifies that former Trump fixer Michael Cohen tried to 'insert himself' in the 2016 campaign.
She said he was not supposed to be on campaign in any official capacity.
Hicks testifies that Cohen was not looped in on day-to-day campaign strategy, adding that he would go 'rogue' and take actions not authorized by Trump's team.
'He liked to call himself a fixer, or Mr. Fix It,' she says. 'It as only because he broke it that he was able to then fix it.'
What led up to Hope Hicks breaking down in tears on the stand
Before breaking down in tears, Hope Hicks had been giving damning testimony against her former boss Donald Trump.
The court was hearing that in March 2018, McDougal sued American Media Inc. to release her from her non-disclosure agreement.
That same day, Madeleine Westerhout texted Hicks 'Hey the president wants to know if you called David Pecker again.'
Two months earlier, the Stormy Daniels affair also resurfaced.
‘Someone, myself or another press communications team member, got an inquiry from the Wall Street Journal, describing a story they planned to publish, Stormy Daniels who was a footnote in the previous story, had in fact received a payment of $130,000,' Hicks told the jury.
Hicks said she spoke to Cohen who told her it was untrue and that no payment was ever made.
She also spoke to Trump and they discussed ‘how to respond’ to the story.
Hicks told the jury she spoke to Trump after Cohen admitted to the New York Times he had in fact paid Daniels.
According to Hicks, Cohen said he did it to ‘protect him (Trump), he did it out of the kindness of his heart.’
Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo asked what Hicks thought at the idea that Cohen did it out of the kindness of his heart.
She said that was out of character for Cohen and she didn't believe Cohen to be an especially charitable or selfless person.
Hicks recalled Trump telling her it was better to deal with it then and that it would have been bad to have the Stormy Daniels story come out before the election.
She then started to cry as cross-examination began.
Hicks breaks down in tears and tells jury 'I'm sorry'
As the direct examination ends and the cross-examination is about to begin, Hicks looks spent.
Emil Bove begins to ask a question about her biographical details but Hicks is unable to answer.
She asks for a moment and bends away from the microphone, her hair hanging across one side of her face.
Judge Juan Merchan asks if she would like a break. 'I'm sorry,' she says.
As the jury leaves she gives a sob. It has clearly been an ordeal, even though her answers were clear and composed, and showed a remarkable recall of detail.
Hope Hicks says Trump's team was hoping to 'blow past' controversy in 2016
Hope Hicks told the court that Trump’s campaign was hoping to ‘blow past’ the controversy over the 2016 Wall Street Journal article and keep going.
There was a lot going on, and you know, it wasn't like this story was consuming the news cycle and I needed to be aware of every little detail. I was kind of just hoping at this point we were going to just blow past it and keep going.
She also said that ‘everything’ discussed at the time was discussed in the context of how it would impact the campaign.
Hope Hicks: Trump was concerned Melania would see article about the 'hush money' deal
A long exchange with Hicks being asked about how she tried to manage the Trump campaign response to the 'hush money' story breaking.
Trump told her he was concerned about his wife Melania finding out and told her to make 'sure that the newspapers weren't delivered to their residence that morning'
Prosecutors are showing Hicks a Wall Street Journal article from Karen McDougal in 2016: Here are the texts she shared with Cohen when it was published
Hope Hicks is set to return to the stand after lunch
Testimony from Hicks has so far focused on allegations against Donald Trump from women and how his campaign responded.
Before the court broke for lunch, she briefly detailed when she first heard of Stormy Daniels.
As Trump’s press secretary in 2016, she was in his inner circle when the ‘hush money’ deal at the center of the trial was hashed out.
Text messages with Michael Cohen have already been shared with the court.
Trying to 'buy a little time' with Rupert Murdoch and the Wall Street Journal
Hope Hicks revealed she forwarded an emailed inquiry from the Wall Street Journal about Trump's alleged affair with ex-Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal to Jared Kushner, her son in law.
Hicks said that Kushner knew Murdoch, the owner of the Wall Street Journal, and that he might be able to 'buy a little time' before the story was published.
The story detailing the agreement with Pecker and AMI and McDougal was published by the Journal Nov 4, 2016, right before the presidential election.
Jury heads out for lunch after start of Hicks revealed when she first heard about Stormy Daniels
Hicks told the court she heard about Stormy Daniels only once before the Wall Street Journal article about Karen McDougal's deal in November 2016.
Trump's 'security guys', she says, mentioned that she was at golf tournament in Nevada where the former president played.
That 2006 event in Nevada is where Trump and Daniels had their alleged encounter.
Hicks reveals when she first heard about Playboy model Karen McDougal, who claims she had an affair with Trump
Hicks told the jury that she first heard the name Karen McDougal on November 4th 2016, when a Wall Street Journal reporter emailed her asking for comment.
The story they were planning to run was that the National Enquirer had bought McDougal’s story but not run it.
The Wall St Journal wanted a comment from Trump, including if he had indeed had a relationship with McDougal.
Hicks recalls calling Michael Cohen to 'chase down a rumor' of another tape and it being 'all Trump all the time' for the 36 hours after tape
Hope Hicks recalls during her testimony that on October 8, 2016, the day the Access Hollywood tape came out, she called Michael Cohen to 'chase down a rumor' that there was another tape.
'There was no such tape regardless, but he chased that down for me,' she says.
The court heard that two days after the Access Hollywood tape came out, Trump took part in the second Presidential debate with Hillary Clinton.
In a bizarre twist, the jury is hearing about Anderson Cooper being one of the moderators of the debate while he is sitting and the audience listening to testimony in court.
Hicks recalls the tape being one of the first questions of the debate. She remembers Trump reiterating during the debate that it was locker room talk, words but not actions.
Hope Hicks remembers the media response to the tape being intense.
It dominated the coverage for the 36 hours leading up to the debate.
She recalled those 36 hours being 'all Trump all the time.'
Trump smirks as Hope Hicks jabs Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney
From Rob Crilly, Senior Political Reporter inside court
Hope Hicks is asked about the response to the Access Hollywood tape from Republicans and mentions the usual suspects of then-Speaker Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee.
She describes them as people who always felt they needed to 'weigh in.'
Trump smirks at that point, and wobbles his head one way and then the other.
Access Hollywood Tape Day: 'URGENT WashPost query'
Prosecutors questioned Hope Hicks about the details behind the campaign response to the Washington Post story about the behind-the-scenes Access Hollywood tape.
Hicks was shown a copy of an email from reporter David Fahrenthold on October 7, 2016 featuring the inquiry from the Post giving the campaign a chance to respond.
Hicks said she was 'concerned' when she saw the details inquiry and forwarded the email to senior campaign officials Jason Miller, David Bossie, Kellyanne Conway, and Steve Bannon.
She said Trump was preparing for an upcoming presidential debate when the inquiry came but that the campaign soon realized they were facing a crisis.
The Post provided the campaign with a transcript of the audio featuring Trump speaking with NBC host Billy Bush on a bus about his attempts to move on women and have sex with them.
Hicks said that Trump said it did not appear to be something he would say.
She added she was 'a little stunned' by the inquiry.
'It's hard to describe but it was definitely concerning I had a good sense this was going to be a massive story,' Hicks said.
The video was played again for the jury and Hicks was asked to read the campaign statment from Trump.
This was locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago. Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course – not even close. I apologize if anyone was offended.
Hicks: Trump deserves the credit for the campaign messages
During her testimony, Hope Hicks lavished praise on her hold boss as a savvy political operator.
She said he was responsible for the overall messaging strategy during the 2016 election campaign.
'He knew what he wanted to say and how he wanted to say it. We were all just following his lead', she told the court.
Hope Hicks details understanding of key figures in the trial
Prosecutors questioned Trump's closest aide Hope Hicks about her understanding of the characters in the trial and their relationship with Donald Trump.
Hicks said she was 'not specifically' familiar with what Michael Cohen did, but said he was involved with license deals with hotel projects and entertainment projects.
Hicks described AMI publisher David Pecker and Trump as 'friends' and that they spoke about the presidential campaign from time to time. She said she was not present for a personal meeting with Pecker at Trump tower in August 2015.
She also said that ex-Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg handled personal financial disclosures about Trump and the campaign and was a 'trusted person' in Trump's orbit.
Hope Hicks: Trump called Enquirer hit job on Ben Carson campaign 'Pulitzer worthy'
Hope Hicks tells the trial the fake National Enquirer story about Ben Carson's 'medical malpractice' was worthy of a Pulitzer Prize.
The communications aide was describing calls between Donald Trump and the magazine’s publisher David Pecker.
Hicks said Trump congratulated Pecker on the ‘great reporting’.
She also heard the former president praise Pecker for the story linking Ted Cruz’s father to Lee Harvey Oswald, the gunman who assassinated JFK.
Donald Trump's former aide and trial witness Hope Hicks, 35, is set to walk down the aisle this summer
She's Donald Trump's glamorous former aide turned communications executive but DailyMail.com can reveal that Hope Hicks is soon to acquire a new title: that of Mrs.
The lucky man is none other than Goldman Sachs boss Jim Donovan, 57, whose secret romance with 35-year-old Hicks was revealed by DailyMail.com in 2020.
Sources have told DailyMail.com that the wedding will take place this summer - but not before Hicks appeared today as a witness at Trump's hush money trial.
On Friday morning, Trump watched intently as his former confidant Hicks was sworn in and took a seat, telling the courtroom, 'I'm really nervous.'
Proceedings in the case, which is over payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels, are expected to continue for at least another month.
Hope Hicks testifies about becoming 2016 campaign press secretary
Hope Hicks shares that she became Trump's campaign press secretary because there wasn't any communications team at that point.
She says she thought Trump was joking when he said she'd be his campaign press secretary because she had no experience. But she was spending so much time on the campaign it eventually just became her job.
'It was kind of a constant flow of incoming questions,' Hicks recalls. 'So I managed all those and tried to respond to everybody in a timely manner.'
Hicks said it was just her and Trump at the time who she decribed as 'better than anybody a communications and branding.'
Hicks also recalls when she first began working on the campaign, saying Trump just told her one day that they were going to Iowa.
'I didn't really know why,' Hicks says.
That was sometime in January 2015, she recalls.
The frantic texts Hope Hicks sent to Michael Cohen when details of the McDougal deal were published just FOUR DAYS before the 2016 election ... with hints about Stormy Daniels
Text messages swapped by two key Trump insiders reveal their panic as a newspaper closed in on a story about a Playboy model and her affair allegation just four days before the 2016 election.
Donald Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen repeatedly messaged Hope Hicks, press secretary to Donald Trump's campaign, asking if there were any developments.
Eventually she responds with a link to the published story, headlined: 'National Enquirer Shielded Donald Trump From Playboy Model's Affair Allegation.'
Almost eight years later the fallout from that story reverberates around a Manhattan criminal court, where the former president is on trial accused of falsifying business records to hide a hush money payment to another woman.
But back then, the messages show Hicks and Cohen hoping that the story about 1998 Playmate of the Year Karen McDougal will just disappear. They know that buried deep in the piece is another thread for journalists to investigate: The name 'Stormy Daniels.'
Hicks reveals she hasn't spoken to Trump since the fall of 2022
Hicks told the court she is working as a communications consultant and has had little interaction with her former boss since she left the White House.
She explained how she got a job at Hiltzik Strategies after completing her English degree.
Then she met Ivanka Trump and started to help with public relations surrounding her personal brand.
'I began to work with the Trump family…I was enjoying it so much I was offered a position at the Trump Organization and jumped at the opportunity to join the company full-time,' Hicks says.
Hicks describes the Trump Organization despite being a large company being run like a 'small family business' in some ways.
She says that by 2015, she spoke with Trump every day including on the phone if they were not able to speak in person.
Hicks has avoided looking at Trump while speaking in court.
'I'm really nervous' Hope Hicks says taking witness stand
From Rob Crilly, Senior Political Reporter inside court
Hope Hicks glides into the witness box wearing a black trouser suit and blue blouse.
Trump watches intently as she is sworn in and takes her seat.
She gives a fragile smile and asks if she is near enough to the microphone.
'I'm really nervous,' she says.
Breaking:Hope Hicks called as next witness
Former Trump right-hand aide Hope Hicks to take the witness stand.
A gasp went around the public gallery as she was called up.
Hicks was a top aide of Trump during the 2016 campaign and then in the Trump White House including as communications director.
She also previously worked for the Trump Organization since 2014.
In cross-examination, Longstreet pressed by defense attorney Todd Blanche over Michael Cohen's podcasts
From Rob Crilly, Senior Political Reporter inside court
Longstreet is being cross examined by defense attorney Todd Blanche, and she is being quizzed on Michael Cohen's podcasts, which the former Trump aide uses as a vehicle to attack his former boss.
Blanche asks: 'Have you listened to all the Mea Culpa podcasts?'
'Absolutely not,' she replies emphatically, again drawing laughter from the public gallery.
'Nobody has more respect for women than Me!' Court hears Trump's old videos and Twitter posts in response to Access Hollywood tape and affair allegations
From Rob Crilly, Senior Political Reporter inside court
The jury is being shown a video made by Trump and posted on Twitter in the wake of the Access Hollywood tape.
In it, he admits he is not a perfect man who has done things he regrets now. 'I said it. I was wrong. I apologized,' he says.
He goes on to describe how he has traveled the country as part of his campaign.
'I pledge to be a better man tomorrow and will never ever let you down,' he says.
Georgia Longstreet is testifying that it is one of the posts she dug out and saved.
We are getting a tour of Trump's old Twitter posts.
Now it is one in response to allegations of affairs. 'Nothing ever happened with any of these women.
'Totally made up nonsense to steal the election.
Longstreet reads it aloud.
The last line triggers laughter in the public gallery.
Trump gets animated over a Washington Post article referencing the Access Hollywood tape
Lead defense lawyer Tood Blanche was talking to Trump about a Washington Post article referring to the Access Hollywood tape, which prosecutors want to bring into evidence.
The former president was gesturing animatedly to a print out of the article.
Trump then spoke to another member of his legal team.
Rather than slouching in his chair Trump is standing up and swinging his body side to side.
Next witness takes the stand: Georgia Longstreet, a Manhattan DA's office paralegal who reviewed 10,000 social media posts
From Rob Crilly, Senior Political Reporter inside court
The next witness is Georgia Longstreet.
Officially her post is paralegal with the New York City District Attorney's office.
Unofficially she may have the worst job in the world.
It was her job to review and save news articles and social media posts that might be relevant to the case.
Think old Twitter posts and newer Truth Social posts written by Trump or his team, bad jokes, invective and bile.
She says she has reviewed anything up to 10,000 posts, saving 1,500 of them that might be needed in the case.
Trump's aide Margo Martin joins him in court
Margo Martin is back in court with Former President Donald Trump for the eleventh day of his hush money trial.
The communications aide has been a key part of his support group since jury selection began three weeks ago.
Last week she was off, but since Monday she has appeared every day.
Forensic expert: Michael Cohen tried to secure and delete conversations with messaging apps
Trump attorney Emil Bove is asking the forensic expert Douglas Daus about two cell phones used by Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen.
Daus revealed that Cohen used two messaging apps Signal and Telegram that were used to encrypt or delete messages. He also used to the messaging app Dust, which had similar features.
He confirmed that Cohen had a ‘self destruct timer’ in the Telegram messaging app to delete messages after seven seconds.
Bove successfully raises awareness that Cohen was covering his tracks digitally after Trump was elected president and that some of the messages would be difficult if not impossible to recover.
Trump's lawyer invokes Harvey Weinstein to get evidence tossed
Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche objected to evidence prosecutors were seeking to bring in during the day’s testimony.
The evidence included two posts online by Trump, a Tweet by the Washington Post and a news article by the same newspaper.
Blanche said there were ‘hearsay problems’ with the evidence and cautioned Judge Merchan about introducing it ‘in light of the Weinstein decision.'
The judge checked if this was a reference to the New York appeal court’s decision last month to overturn former film producer Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction.
The suggestion appeared to imply that the evidence at issue could be problematic. Weinstein’s conviction was overturned because three additional ‘prior bad acts’ witnesses were allowed into the case.
‘I don’t see it as having any impact on my ruling,' Judge Merchan responded.
Blanche protested that the material was ‘extremely unfair and prejudicial,’ but Judge Merchan said that the Weinstein decision ‘doesn’t really factor into this’
Blanche also objected to prosecutors using a post online from Trump in August 2022 in which he wrote: ‘If you go after me I’m coming after you.'
According to Blanche, this had ‘nothing to do’ with this case and was about an effort by the Republican party to stop him becoming its Presidential nominee.
Judge Merchan said he would decide later.
The judge also refused to allow into evidence a video still of Trump from the Access Hollywood tape. He previously barred the video from being used.
Donald Trump berates Judge Juan Merchan on social media after he warned Trump to 'steer clear' on Truth Social
President Donald Trump kicked off Day 11 of his New York trial by berating Judge Juan Merchan on social media as 'corrupt.'
He wrote:
This Corrupt and HIGHLY Conflicted New York Judge, Juan Merchan, is doing everything in his power to make this trial as salacious as possible, even though these things have NOTHING to do with this FAKE case. He gives us nothing, gives the everything to the Crooked D.A., Alvin Bragg. ELECTION INTERFERENCE - BIDEN WITCH HUNT TRIAL!!!
Trump's post about the trial took place after the judge warned him Thursday about violating the court ordered gag order with posts on social media.
'If in doubt, steer clear,' Merchan said. 'There is no ambiguity, I believe, in the order.'
Trump's statement on social media about the judge goes right up to the line of the gag order, but does not cross it.
The gag order prevents Trump from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and employees connected to the case, but does not apply to the judge or Manhattan District Alvin Bragg.
Judge Merchan reassures Trump he could say anything he wants while testifying
Donald Trump's day in criminal court began with Judge Juan Merchan addressing the ex-president directly where he said he wants to clear up any 'misunderstanding' regarding the gag order.
Judge Merchan said Trump had an ‘absolute right’ to testify at trial and an ‘absolute right’ not to.
The gag order bars the ex-president from commenting on the jury, witnesses and court staff. It does not apply to Trump testifying or commenting on the judge.
Judge Merchan told Trump that testifying was his 'constitutional right’ and one that ‘you haven’t been denied in any way.’
The gag order does not stop Trump ‘testifying in any way’, the court heard.
Judge Merchan said the gag order ‘does not prohibit you from taking the stand and does not minimize what you can say from the witness stand.’
The order only applies to extrajudicial statements Trump makes, meaning those outside the court, the judge said.
Judge Merchan told Trump that if he had any ‘lingering doubts’ he should speak to his lawyers.
Trump nodded his head in apparent agreement.
Trump addresses 'horrible' job numbers after entering criminal court and claims there are 10 states he would rather be in
Donald Trump addressed the U.S. adding 175,000 jobs last month, a slowdown in hiring.
'These people are destroying our country,' Trump claimed.
'They're really, really low, really bad, our economy's bad,' Trump stated of the jobs numbers.
He claimed it would only get worse.
Despite Trump's statement, economists have been expecting this slowdown for months even as hiring in February and March were hotter than expected.
The jobs number according to economists is not the sign of a bad economy as layoffs remain low.
The ex-president also complained that there are 10 states he would rather be in right now instead of criminal court.
He claimed he was supposed to be in Georgia today, Ohio tomorrow and then in Florida 'doing - campaigning, essentially campaigning.'
In response to a question about what he would do to address jobs, Trump said 'drill baby drill.'
Trump also was asked about testifying after claiming he was not allowed just yesterday.
'No, it won't stop me from testifying. The gag order is not for testifying,' Trump said. The ex-president said the gag order prevents him from talking about people who say things about him, and he's not allowed to respond.
The Trump trial is the latest must-see attraction for tourists in New York
They've ticked off Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty and seen Hamilton on Broadway.
Now the visitors from Australia are headed for the public gallery of the Donald Trump trial at Manhattan Criminal Court.
'We woke up this morning and said we have to be in "the room where it happens,' said Marney, breaking into the hit song from Hamilton, quickly followed by a fit of giggles.
Across the street is the Manhattan court where Donald Trump is on trial.
He has denied 34 counts of falsifying business records.
But a seemingly mundane case about ledgers and checks has become the hottest ticket in town, enlivened already by the testimony of America's tabloid king and a celebrity lawyer who has won payouts from Charlie Sheen.
Trump: I don’t fall asleep... I simply close my beautiful blue eyes
Donald Trump on Thursday addressed reports that he may have been sleeping during his trial as reporters noted he closed his eyes for long periods of time.
During the lunch break he posted:
Contrary to the FAKE NEWS MEDIA, I don’t fall asleep during the Crooked D.A.’s Witch Hunt, especially not today. I simply close my beautiful blue eyes, sometimes, listen intensely, and take it ALL in!!!
Trump's posts on his Truth Social profile became a subject of discussion in court today, when his lawyer questioned the judge whether he could post information from news articles about the case.
Judge Merchan dismissed the request.
'I’m not going to give advance rulings,' he said, adding that there was 'no ambiguity' in the order.
'If in doubt, steer clear,' he advised.
Trump delivers pizza to the New York Fire Department after court
Donald Trump celebrated the end of Day 10 of the hush money trial by handing out pizzas to members of the FDNY.
The former president drove to the firehouse in Midtown Manhattan to greet the cheering firefighters and hand them slices of pie.
The presumptive Republican nominee for president has made similar stops during breaks from court to keep his campaign going.
Last week he visited a construction site to meet union workers.
Earlier in the trial he went to a bodega in Harlem which was the scene of a shooting that rocked Manhattan.
Welcome to Day 11 of Trump's hush money trial. Here is what happened on Day 10
On an extraordinary 10th day of Donald Trump's blockbuster hush money trial there were revelations galore.
Trump sat stoically at the defendant's table as witness Keith Davidson was quizzed by prosecutors and the former president's attorneys.
Davidson is a lawyer who represented Stormy Daniels, the porn star who claims to have had an affair with Trump and received a $130,000 payment to buy her silence.
His testimony revealed a barrage of information. Here are the key takeaways:
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- Police launch fresh search for Muriel McKay's body after speaking to her killer: Met will again scour Hertfordshire farm for remains - 55 years after she was murdered when she was mistaken for Rupert Murdoch's wife
- Company boss who killed his wife when he crashed his yellow sports car carelessly driving on a country trip faces jail
- Revealed: Pensioner poet, 71, accused of shooting Slovakian PM was filmed chanting 'long live Ukraine!' - after he gave up his steady life and book club to form anti-violence party when he was attacked at the supermarket by a drunk man
- Goalkeeper accused of twice raping a woman in hotel room after his team won the FA Vase says the sex was consensual but 'deeply regrets' sending teammates a picture of her sleeping with the caption 'Anyone want a go?' court hears
- My tummy bug turned out to be inoperable stomach cancer: Mother, 45, reveals how she received heartbreaking diagnosis after doctors initially put her heartburn and bloating down to her age
- Coca-Cola HBC's boss pocketed more than £320,000 in 'cost of living' benefits last year as part of his £4.4m package
- Eddie Izzard insists she wouldn't play a straight female character as it would be 'taking a role from someone else' - as she describes debate around biological sex as a 'minefield'
- Dying woman, just 36, is denied a liver transplant from her own partner after doctors made an alarming discovery
- Tyson Fury crashed into Oleksandr Usyk's personification of Ukraine's defiance on the battlefield as he came back from the point of no return, writes JEFF POWELL
- Kate Moss snubs Buckingham Palace garden party after failing to turn up to star-studded event hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla despite asking officials to ensure her a spot
- Ben Affleck seen WITHOUT his ring for the first time amid claims he and Jennifer Lopez have been living apart for 'several WEEKS'
- Inside Girls Aloud's emotional tribute to Sarah Harding: KATIE HIND reveals group were 'in tears' after heartwarming display in Dublin which was hailed as the 'perfect' homage to late bandmate
- I masterminded the plot to blow up Lord Mountbatten: Ex-IRA commander sensationally confesses to being behind the assassination of King Charles's beloved great-uncle who was murdered aged 79 during a holiday at his summer home in Ireland
- Woman held on suspicion of assault after launching 20-minute tirade of abuse at Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg while at a children's fair with his family
- Strictly's Giovanni Pernice is hit with claims he 'stamped on Amanda Abbington's foot during his militant training sessions' as he vows to 'clear his name' amid BBC misconduct probe
- Oleksandr Usyk DEFEATS Tyson Fury via split decision to be crowned undisputed heavyweight champion of the world - after stunning comeback from the Ukrainian in Saudi Arabia
- One in six adults say they are addicted to ultra-processed foods as experts warn millions of Brits are putting themselves at risk of severe health problems
- Is THIS Britain's skinniest house? Mum says SIX FOOT wide £300k terrace is her 'dream home' but it does come with an 'absolute nightmare'
- LIZ JONES: King Charles and William, give Harry and Meghan the best anniversary gift they could imagine: Welcome the Firm's biggest assets back into the fold
- Revealed: Meghan and Prince Harry were flown around Nigeria for free with 'top-tier treatment' by airline whose chairman is a fugitive wanted in the US over $20M money laundering operation
- Famed GOP advisor and political commentator Alice Stewart dies suddenly, found dead outside at 58
- Barmaid who worked with Baby Reindeer's Richard Gadd at the Hawley Arms says 'stalker' Fiona Harvey was targeted as a joke at the pub - where staff enjoyed 'misogynistic culture' fuelled by 'drug-taking, alcohol and promiscuousness'
- Horror as handsome high school jock, 17, is killed and his girlfriend, 16, fights for her life after 'drunk driver' slammed into them at 131 mph in his Mustang that split their car in HALF
- Landowner builds tiny 10ft wide home on his lot 'out of spite' after millionaire neighbors complained they were using abandoned plot as an extra garden - as it hits the market for eyewatering price
- Maud was on a dream trip to Hawaii when she fell seriously ill. Her family are fighting to bring her home - after insurers refused to cover her for one cruel reason
- Ryli Johnson's first magazine cover after viral Townsville nightclub photo led her to be called 'the most beautiful girl in the world'
- Northern Lights could be visible in the UK again TONIGHT - so where are the best places to see Aurora Borealis?
- The scramble for Antarctica's black gold: How Russian discovery of huge oil reserves in UK territory has made Falkland Islands the 'world's most valuable real estate'... with Putin and Xi eyeing treasure under frozen seas
- Elizabeth Street, Sydney: Police officer is stabbed in broad daylight
- I bought an abandoned storage unit for just £325... but then I found a jaw-dropping fortune inside
- We live in Britain's worst seaside town and here's why it's awful: Locals say they have lost battle against homelessness, youths vomiting in the street and drunken fights breaking out at chucking-out time
- King Charles did not meet with Prince Harry as he was busy rewarding senior peer who masterminded his Coronation and Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, EMILY PRESCOTT reveals
- Ben Affleck can't curb Jennifer Lopez's addiction to the spotlight and J-Lo can't control his moods - small wonder insiders believe that just two years after their wedding Bennifer The Sequel is doomed, writes TOM LEONARD
- Shameless star Tina Malone reveals her war hero partner Paul Chase took his own life after he turned to drink and drugs to deal with the trauma of feeling 'lost' and 'useless'
- Best places to live in the US revealed - and quaint town where David Copperfield was born takes top spot
- Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi is missing in helicopter crash as Tehran says 'his life is at risk' amid frantic rescue mission - a month after he ordered missile barrage on Israel
- Feeling flush? Three-bedroom home in leafy west London on market for nearly £600k... but there's a unique feature that might make you think twice
- LIZ JONES: The reason why I used to love Diana but now I'm Team Camilla...and it's not what you think!
- Furious locals in world famous UK seaside town blast second home owners for 'killing the community' by snapping up £260k homes for Airbnbs and holiday lets
- Netflix fans blast new rom-com the 'worst movie of the year' after 'weird' ending leaves them furious
- Man who helped rescue 'drowned' British girl, 6, from the bottom of the pool in Tenerife tells of her father's terror - as hotel reveals youngster is OK and on the mend
- Prince William is set to be an usher at the Duke of Westminster's 'society wedding of the year' but Harry won't be there 'after turning down invite because he thought he should have got the job'
- Bizarre moment RADAR picks up a structure above 'UFO hotbed' during rocket experiment
- Six-year-old British girl is pulled from Tenerife hotel pool and rushed to hospital 50 minutes after lifeguard had clocked off
- Man wages war with council over giant GLASS TUNNEL at his Regents Park home designed by architect behind the Gherkin skyscraper
- 'Childhood sweethearts' who were allegedly murdered on a romantic camping getaway made a 'secret pact' before they died, court hears
- Exclusive: How a Nigerian king who Harry hailed as one of his 'new in-laws' is a conman twice deported from America, with a lengthy criminal record and a distinctly murky past…
- Political analyst reveals why he thinks there may be a secret plot underway to replace Biden as Democrats' presidential candidate
- Why the Barefoot Investor Scott Pape says now is the time to 'panic' if you have a mortgage
- Man in his 40s dies after 'falling to his death from Manchester Airport car park' as police launch investigation
- Brenda Lin - the sole survivor of the Lin family murders - speaks about the tragedy for the first time in years as she launches victim-support charity
- LA County DA reveals why he CAN'T prosecute Diddy after horrific video showing him assaulting Cassie Ventura in hotel hallway
- Fury as French officials 'remove' Britain's Union Jack from display of hundreds of flags to mark D-Day in Normandy town
- The new Willy Wonka Experience? Basingstoke Comic Con descends into 's**tshow' as fans queue for 12 HOURS in sweltering heat for £175 autographs from Aquaman Jason Momoa, staff are attacked and other workers fail to turn up
- Mother whose son went to the school of paedophile teacher Rebecca Joynes blasts secondary for its 'silence' over scandal after predator had sex with two of her pupils - and raises fears over 'how many victims might there be'
- Massive hunt is launched near River Tyne to find two teenage boys who vanished while swimming in Ovingham - with police, helicopter and rescue teams scrambled
- St Albans, Melbourne: Man riding a scooter dies after colliding with a car in horror crash
- The one American city that's almost beaten the war on inflation - and why prices are rising far slower here than any other area across the country
- Tragedy as woman's body found after she disappeared off Palm Cove jetty - as an urgent search is launched for another woman who jumped into Ipswich's Bremer River
- Princess Kate's old school friend will offer sex parties on the high seas as her orgy firm Killing Kittens launches its first-ever cruise
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