Donald Trump told Stormy Daniels that she “reminds me of my daughter” because she is “smart, blonde and beautiful and people underestimate her,” a court heard on Tuesday.
Ms Daniels claims the comments were made as they discussed the possibility of her appearing on ‘The Celebrity Apprentice.’
Ms Daniels said in her testimony: “I said, ‘even you don’t’ have this much power.’ He said, ‘you remind me of my daughter because she’s smart, blonde, and beautiful and people underestimate her.’ The way he framed it did actually make perfect sense.”
Speaking in court, Ms Daniels also said she was concerned at the time that going on the show would hurt her image.
“What if I lose on the first episode?”, she remembers asking.
READ MORE: Stormy Daniels met with silence after risque joke about Trump golf course
On her mindset at the time, she said she has “nothing against the adult entertainment industry. I have no shame, that’s who I am. But I also wanted to direct other bigger things.”
Ms Daniels is testifying as part of the hush money trial into Trump’s alleged payment of money to the adult film star before the 2016 election.
It has been alleged that the money was paid to cover up an affair between the two of them. Trump denies having an affair and has pleaded not guilty to all 34 felony charges.
Ms Daniels has shared her version of a number of private moments, including very personal information.
She testified that she accepted Trump’s invite because she wanted to get out of a planned dinner with her adult film company colleagues.
She said her then-publicist suggested in a phone call that Trump’s invitation was a good excuse to duck the work dinner and would “make a great story” and perhaps help her career.
Ms Daniels described having a “very brief” conversation with Trump about his wife, Melania.
She said Trump told her that he and his wife “don’t sleep in the same room.”
As this was said, Trump was seen closing his eyes and shaking his head.
In the early moments of her testimony, Daniels told jurors under questioning from prosecutors that she met Trump because the adult film studio she worked for at the time was sponsoring one of the holes on the golf course. They chatted about the adult film industry and her directing abilities when Trump’s group passed through. The celebrity real estate developer remarked that she must be “the smart one” if she’s making films, Daniels recalled.
Later, in an area known as the “gift room,” where celebrity golfers collected gift bags and swag, Trump remembered her as “the smart one” and asked her if she wanted to go to dinner, Daniels said.
Daniels testified she accepted Trump’s invite because she wanted to get out of a planned dinner with her adult film company colleagues, She said her then-publicist suggested in a phone call that Trump’s invitation was a good excuse to duck the work dinner and would “make a great story” and perhaps help her career.
“What could possibly go wrong?” she recalled the publicist saying.
Prosecutors and defense lawyers quibbled at the start of the day over the contours of her testimony.
The case is one of four criminal trials Trump will face.
