Trump is accused Daniels, real name Stephanie Clifford, paid $130,000 so she would keep quiet about the couple’s alleged extramarital affair.
Five months before the 2016 presidential election, American Media Inc, publisher of the National Enquirer, paid McDougal, 53, $150,000 in exchange for her tell-all story. The interview was never published.
The alleged affair became public knowledge in a subsequent interview McDougal did with The Wall Street Journal in 2016.
Trump denies McDougal’s allegations. Her payment is not subject to a criminal investigation, but prosecutors say it will set off a pattern of behavior on Trump’s part, something Trump attorney Todd Blanche tried to argue against.
Judge Merchan said the jury did not need to hear about the timing of the alleged McDougal affair, which the former model said took place at the time. Melania Trump was pregnant with Barron Trump.