As the criminal trial against former President Donald Trump continued on Friday (May 3), Hope Hicks, who was once considered one of Trump's most trusted aides, testified against him. Hicks was asked about her knowledge of payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, both of whom claimed to have had affairs with Trump.
Hicks recalled first hearing Daniels' name in November 2015 during a conversation on Trump's plane about a celebrity golf tournament. She learned of McDougal in November 2016, following an inquiry from a Wall Street Journal reporter about the model and the National Enquirer.
Hicks also testified about the fallout from the release of the Access Hollywood tape, in which Trump made lewd comments about women. She described the intense media coverage that followed, stating it even overshadowed news of a Category 4 hurricane.
"It was intense, it dominated coverage for, I would say, the 36 hours leading up to the debate," Hicks said. "I don't think anywhere remembers where or when that hurricane made landfall. It was all Trump all the time for ... 36 hours."
The trial continues with the prosecution setting the stage for pivotal testimony from Michael Cohen, Trump's former attorney who paid Daniels $130,000 for her silence.