Trump feared 'disaster' for campaign, Cohen alleges

Former ‘fixer’ testifies how he paid off Stormy Daniels

- ALEX WOODWARD, KELLY RISSMAN

Donald Trump was furious with Michael Cohen and feared “disaster” for his 2016 presidential campaign when his then-attorney disclosed that Stormy Daniels was preparing to share her story about having sex with him in 2006.

“I thought you had this under control. I thought you took care of this,” Cohen said from the witness stand in the former president’s hush-money trial yesterday, recalling Mr Trump’s enraged reaction to the news that the adult film star’s allegations had resurfaced.

“Just take care of it. ‘There’s a lot going on at the campaign at the time.’ Just take care of it,” Mr Trump said, according to Cohen.

“This is a disaster. This is a total disaster,” he said. “Women are going to hate me. This really is a disaster. Women are going to hate me. Guys will think it’s cool, but this is a disaster for the campaign.”

Mr Trump told him to “push it” past election day, Cohen said.

“If I win, it won’t matter,” Mr Trump said, according to Cohen.

Mr Trump “wasn’t thinking” about his wife Melania, Cohen said. “This was all about the campaign.”

Cohen is among the final witnesses in the former president’s historic criminal trial in New York, where he is accused of covering up so-called “hush-money” payments to the adult film star as “legal expenses”.