Trump heads to New York for Stormy Daniels hush money case: Live

Donald Trump is returning to New York on Thursday for a pre-trial conference as part of Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg’s case alleging that he knowingly falsified business records in 2016 in order to conceal “hush money” payments made on his behalf to porn star Stormy Daniels in order to ensure her silence about an affair they allegedly had a decade before, which the presidential candidate reputedly feared could harm his election prospects.

On what promises to be a busy day on the legal front, a judge in Georgia is also holding a hearing on Mr Trump’s effort to remove Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis from the racketeering case against him after she was accused of having an affair of her own with prosecutor Nathan Wade.

Ms Willis has not denied the relationship with Mr Wade but refutes the claim that it has any bearing on the indictment of Mr Trump and his co-defendants, who are accused of trying to overturn the 2020 election result in her state.

The Republican front-runner held a rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, on Wednesday night at which he bragged about doing “nothing” to rein in gun violence during his presidency.

So romantic!

The King of Projection has been busy lately attacking Nikki Haley’s husband Major Michael Haley for failing to join her on the campaign trail (because he’s been deployed to Africa with the South Carolina National Guard) but Melania’s total refusal to go through all of this again after loathing every moment she spent as first lady is obviously the much bigger story.

Mike Bedigan just about managed not to vomit writing this report.

The former president thanked his FLOTUS for standing by him despite the litany of charges – both civil and criminal – against him

Over