Trump trial full coverage: Defense tries to paint Stormy Daniels's lawyer as a serial extortionist in hush money case

Perhaps the biggest bombshell of the day came when prosecutors played the recording of a September 2016 conversation between Trump and his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, in which the two discuss a payment the National Enquirer made to former Playboy model Karen McDougal. The recording, which Cohen was said to have made without Trump's knowledge, appeared to bolster prosecution claims that Trump was highly involved in the hush money payments designed to keep stories about his marital infidelity hidden from voters.

Here's what else happened:

• Keith Davidson finished his testimony about securing payments for McDougal and adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

• During the cross-examination of Davidson, defense lawyer Emil Bove sought to portray him as a serial extortionist.

• Judge Juan Merchan started the day with another hearing about whether Trump had violated his gag order preventing him from talking about jury members, witnesses, court staff and their families, in four new alleged instances. The judge did not make a final ruling.

• After court was adjourned for the day, Trump falsely told reporters that he was “not allowed to testify” in the case because he was “under a gag order.”

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After the trial wrapped for the day, Donald Trump spoke to reporters outside the courtroom about a variety of topics.

Trump intimated he would not testify in the trial, contradicting his previously stated desire to take the stand in his own defense. Trump falsely claimed he was "not allowed to testify" because he was "under a gag order." Trump has already been fined $9,000 by Judge Juan Merchan for violating the gag order against talking about witnesses and others involved in the case.

The former president also complained about how the trial was preventing him from campaigning.

A reporter asked Trump what he thought about third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to which Trump responded that he is "not a serious candidate" but acknowledged Kennedy could potentially pull votes away from both him and Biden.

Trump declined to say who his vice presidential candidate would be, but promised a decision would be made before the Republican National Convention in July.

Trump's trial has ended for the day. On Friday, Trump attorney Emil Bove is expected to continue the cross-examination of witness Doug Daus, a forensic analyst who looked at two iPhones belonging to Michael Cohen.

Judge Juan Merchan said court will adjourn Friday at 3:45 p.m. ET because a juror has an appointment.

During testimony by forensic analyst Doug Daus, prosecutors played a secret recording Michael Cohen made of his boss, Donald Trump, in September 2016.

During the conversation, Cohen was heard telling Trump, “I need to open up a company for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend David,” in reference to National Enquirer publisher David Pecker.

Pecker testified earlier in the trial about paying former Playboy model Karen McDougal $150,000 for the exclusive rights to her story about an alleged extramarital affair with Trump. Prosecutors are trying to establish for the jury that Trump had direct knowledge of the catch-and-kill arrangement at the tabloid.

Doug Daus, a forensic analyst at the Manhattan District Attorney's office, testified that he analyzed two iPhones used by Michael Cohen, Trump's attorney and "fixer," who made the $130,000 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.

Daus said one of Cohen's phones had 39,745 saved contacts, which he called "unusual." Among the contacts are: Trump, Melania Trump, David Pecker, Hope Hicks, Dylan Howard and Keith Davidson.

“I’ve not seen contacts of that many being on a phone," Daus said, according to NBC News.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass returned to the podium to play part of a conversation Michael Cohen had with Keith Davidson, which Cohen recorded.

"I’m sitting there saying to myself, 'What about me? What about me?'" Cohen is heard saying in the recorded audio, according to CNN.

"I can’t even tell you how many times [Trump] said to me, 'I hate the fact that we did it,' and my comment to him was, 'But every person that we’ve spoken to tells you it was the right move,'" Cohen told Davidson.

This seems to be the prosecution's way of supporting their claim that Trump knew about the hush money payment made to Stormy Daniels.

Forensic analyst Doug Daus works in a department of the Manhattan District Attorney's Office called the High Technology Analysis Unit, which processes digital evidence. He performed analyses on two iPhones that Michael Cohen turned over to authorities, according to the Associated Press.

Prosecutor Chris Conroy is questioning him.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the case against Trump, is in the courtroom.

Emil Bove, one of Trump's defense attorneys, finished up his cross-examination of a key witness, Keith Davidson, a lawyer who represented Stormy Daniels and was part of the payment agreements at the center of the trial.

With former President Donald Trump's hush money trial nearing the end of its third week, some of his notable supporters have been showing up in court in recent days. The latest: Andrew Giuliani, a former special assistant to Trump and the son of Trump's former personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani.

It was at least the second time Andrew Giuliani appeared at the trial in support of Trump. He was there on April 17, when he gave an interview outside the courthouse to Daily Show co-host Jordan Klepper.

After the lunch break, Trump's defense team requested that Judge Merchan provide "clarification" on the gag order. Susan Necheles, one of Trump's lawyers, specifically asked whether the former president would be allowed to post on social media articles that contain analysis from legal commentators about the trial who mention witnesses or prosecutors.

"I frankly don't know whether that violates the gag order," Necheles said, according to The Hill.

Merchan said he wouldn't weigh in and issue "advance rulings," but advised Necheles to "steer clear" of such social media posts when in doubt.

Since the first day of jury selection, there have been multiple reports from journalists inside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse who have observed the former president appearing to nod off at numerous points throughout his hush money trial.

During lunch break on Thursday, he pushed back in a post on Truth Social.

"Contrary to the FAKE NEWS MEDIA, I don’t fall asleep during the Crooked D.A.’s Witch Hunt, especially not today," the post read. "I simply close my beautiful blue eyes, sometimes, listen intensely, and take it ALL in!!!"

Court is back in session after a lunch break, and Keith Davidson, a lawyer who represented Stormy Daniels, is back on the stand for cross-examination from Trump attorney Emil Bove.

The court is taking a break for lunch and will be back in session at 2:15 p.m. ET.

During cross-examination, the defense used its questioning of Davidson to paint him as a sleazy lawyer with a history of extortion claims against him by various celebrities.

Among those raised by the defense: wrestler Hulk Hogan, actor Charlie Sheen and former reality star Tila Tequila.

Trump's defense attorney Emil Bove repeatedly pressed Davidson on such extortion claims.

By the time Davidson negotiated hush money payments for Daniels and McDougal, Bove reportedly asked, “You were pretty well-versed in coming right up to the line without committing extortion, right?”

“I had familiarized myself with the law,” Davidson replied.

Trump appears to be more engaged now that his attorney, Emil Bove, is cross-examining Keith Davidson, the lawyer for Stormy Daniels, as reported by multiple news outlets.

According to CNN, the former president has turned his chair toward the witness stand.

During direct examination, Stormy Daniels's attorney Keith Davidson said that Michael Cohen was "very despondent" upon learning that then-President-elect Donald Trump was not going to take him to Washington despite Cohen's arranging the hush money deal with Daniels on Trump's behalf.

Under cross-examination, Davidson said that Cohen had talked with him about wanting a high-level position in the incoming administration, such as chief of staff or even attorney general.

After a brief break, Judge Juan Merchan is back on the bench and has called Keith Davidson, a lawyer who represented Stormy Daniels, back to the stand. The jury is back in the room, and Trump's attorney Emil Bove will begin his cross-examination shortly.

The prosecution has finished its questioning of Keith Davidson, the attorney who represented Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal in the hush money deals.

Court is now in a brief recess. The defense will have the opportunity to cross-examine Davidson when testimony resumes.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked lawyer Keith Davidson, who represented Stormy Daniels, about the truthfulness of Daniels's statement when she said: "Rumors that I have received hush money from Donald Trump are completely false."

According to the New York Times, Steinglass asked Davidson, "Did you intend for this statement to be cleverly misleading?" to which Davidson replied, “I don’t understand the question."

Davidson then added that he wouldn't describe the $130,000 payment to Daniels from Michael Cohen on Trump's behalf as "hush money."

“It wasn’t a payoff. It wasn’t hush money. It was consideration,” Davidson said, according to The Hill.

Davidson rather likened the situation to a person signing a contract to pay someone $5 for them to mow their lawn.

Keith Davidson, an attorney who represented Stormy Daniels, reportedly testified that after he had negotiated the $130,000 deal between Daniels and Michael Cohen on Trump's behalf, he received a call from a "very despondent" Cohen in late 2016 before Trump's inauguration.

According to Davidson, Cohen told him that Trump was not taking his lawyer and fixer with him to the White House.

“He said something to the effect of, 'Jesus Christ, can you f***ing believe I’m not going to Washington after everything I’ve done for that f***ing guy? I can’t believe I’m not going to Washington. I’ve saved that guy’s a** so many times, you don’t even know,’” Davidson recalled in court, per CNN's transcription.