Trump trial latest: Star witness Michael Cohen testifying at former president's trial (2024)

We're now moving onto the reltaionships between Michael Cohen, Donald Trump and Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker - who testified in this trial last month.

Cohen says that he knew David Pecker "before I even knew Mr Trump."

"We had mutual friends, and we had met at a function, out in Long Island many, many years ago," he says.

"I then was reacquainted when David Pecker was the president and CEO of AMI, and more people know him for his magazines and newspapers.”

Cohen adds that he would communicate with Pecker by phone and that he had his cell phone and work number in his phone contacts list.

Asked if he spoke to Pecker using the encrypted app called Signal, Cohen says he did.

"Sometimes we thought that encryption and not having the event traceable would be beneficial," Cohen adds.

When describing the intense nature of his time working for Donald Trump, Michael Cohen is asked whether he would communicate in person with the former president, by phone or by email.

Cohen says "Mr. Trump never had an email address" because "emails are like written papers, and he knows too many people who have gone down from using emails that prosecutors can use".

An interesting exchange now, with Michael Cohen admitting that he lied for Donald Trump directly.

When asked by Susan Hoffinger why he would do that, Cohen says: "It's what was needed to accomplish the task."

"You've been called [Trump's] 'fixer', is that an accurate title?" Hoffinger asks.

"It's fair," Cohen replies.

Asked how he looks back on his time working for Donald Trump, Michael Cohen says it "was an amazing experience in many different ways… there were great times and some not great times, but for the most part, I enjoyed the responsibilities given to me," he says.

He describes the work environment as a "big family".

Reporters in court are surprised that they are still observing Donald Trump with his eyes closed, and some note that his mouth is now slightly open.

"He is really attempting to shut out this testimony, we will see how long it lasts," one reporter says.

By contrast, Todd Blanche of the defence team is seen intently listening to Cohen's every word.

The prosecution is trying to establish Michael Cohen's remit in his role when working for Donald Trump for the jury.

Susan Hoffinger asks him whether he handled personal matters for Trump, to which the lawyer replies "yes".

She then asks if he worked to minimise bad press in the media on his behalf.

He says he would "place" stories that would be "advantageous" in the media and "if there was an article that brought him (Trump) displeasure, I'd speak with them about that as well".

When asked how often he would speak with Trump, Cohen replies:"Every single day, and multiple times a day."

Now we've got a bit of background, Susan Hoffinger turns to what Michael Cohen thought of working for Donald Trump.

From the outset, Cohen says, he handled whatever Trump wanted.

"It was all very exciting to me," Cohen says about a landfill remediation project in New Jersey that never came to fruition.

He says he wanted his boss to understand what he was accomplishing.

Doing so made him feel "on top of the world", he says.

Michael Cohen has been giving a bit of background to the prosecutor, Susan Hoffinger, describing how he never actually wanted to be a lawyer.

Cohen is then asked how he came to work for Trump, explaining that Donald Trump Jr, the former president's son, connected the pair after an issue at Trump World Tower.

He said he performed some "legal and non-legal" work for Trump, amounting to a bill of some $100,000, which was not paid.

Trump instead asked him to leave his "sleepy old firm" and come and work for him for a base salary of $375,000, which Cohen says he accepted.

"He asked me if I wanted to come work for him...I was honoured," he says.

Reporters inside court have observed Donald Trump following the same pattern of behaviour we've seen since this trial began 16 days ago - closing his eyes and tilting his head to the right.

After a few days off, photographers have been allowed back in the courtroom to take pictures of Donald Trump.

They are required to operate under strict rules and have been banned for the past few days after one of the photographers took a photo of Trump from an incorrect spot.

Here's the president ready to face his former "fixer"...

Michael Cohen takes the stand, wearing a dark suit and a pink tie.

Donald Trump looks forward and doesn't turn to watch him enter.

Both Judge Merchan and the jury have been seated in the last few moments.

Veteran prosecutor Susan Hoffinger is ready to question Cohen, with some reports indicating that she has been preparing the former president's ex-lawyer for over a year for this day.

Todd Blanche is in the lead seat for the defence team - he will cross-examine the witness once Ms Hoffinger concludes.