Once again, Donald Trump took his time before entering the courtroom. The hallway of the Manhattan courthouse is his stage, at the moment. On Thursday, April 25, on the sidelines of his trial in New York, he launched into a diatribe in front of the cameras, rambling about the latest growth figures, the pro-Palestinian protests on some campuses, his own election campaign, and the deliberations of the Supreme Court. Shortly after 9:30 am, Justice Juan Merchan greeted him: "Good morning, Mr. Trump."
The former president watched, in silence, as David Pecker continued his testimony. On April 23, Pecker had begun describing the toxic association between the powerful tabloid National Enquirer, under his leadership, and Trump, then a presidential candidate, in 2015-2016. The two men had known each other for a long time. "I felt that Donald Trump was my mentor. He helped me throughout my career," Pecker recalled.
According to the prosecution, the partnership began in the summer of 2015. Pecker, a former CEO of American Media, Inc. (AMI), who has been granted immunity in exchange for his cooperation, detailed the terms of the agreement, which were reached informally during a meeting at Trump Tower with Trump and Michael Cohen, the businessman's lawyer at the time. Pecker pledged to be Trump's "eyes and ears" and to respond to any rumors "about women selling stories" about him. The idea, in short, was to buy exclusivity on potentially damaging scoops, and then hush them up.
Such was the case in early 2016 with Karen McDougal, who was mentioned at the beginning of the hearing on Thursday. The former Playboy model said she had had a 10-month affair with Trump in 2006. "She didn't want to be the next Monica Lewinsky," Pecker said, referring to the former White House intern who had sex with President Bill Clinton. In other words, the model had other interests than handing herself over to the press. Pecker said he had spoken with Trump about the possible testimony. "Karen is a nice girl," Trump said, according to Pecker. "I think you should buy the story and take it off the market," Pecker said he advised.
Negotiations began with McDougal over the price of exclusivity. The final sum was $150,000. Cohen recommended that the journalist pay. Pecker said Cohen told him: "Don't worry about it, I'm your friend, the boss will take care of it." But Pecker wanted to be cautious. He recalled a similar deal for the benefit of Arnold Schwarzenegger, back when the actor was considering running for governor of California. More than 30 women had approached the AMI to tell the stories of their relationships with Mr. Schwarzenegger. Sex, the press and politics make up a lucrative mix, but it can be dangerous if mishandled.
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