Trump in Florida for son Barron’s graduation after hush money judge allows brief pause in trial: Live updates

Donald Trump is in Florida today for the high school graduation of his teenage son Barron Trump before later jetting out for a Republican fundraising dinner in St Paul, Minnesota.

The GOP presidential candidate’s hush money trial wrapped up for the week on Thursday after a day of heated cross-examination in which key witness Michael Cohen was grilled by defense attorney Todd Blanche.

The former “fixer” for the defendant spent the entire day on the stand in Judge Juan Merchan’s Manhattan courtroom, with much of the questioning revolving around previous occasions in which he had lied under oath.

Mr Blanche zeroed in on whether Cohen, who received tens of thousands of phone calls per year, could specifically remember what was discussed ina 90-second call in 2016.

The witness remained calm and steadfast during his testimony, walking the jury through the strategy allegedly employed by Mr Trump’s inner circle to delay making the $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in October 2016 to buy her silence about the sexual encounter she claims he had with the politician in July 2006.

Judge Merchan has now asked both sides to prepare for closing arguments on Tuesday.

Alex Woodward is covering the trial from Manhattan Criminal Court.

When Justice Juan Merchan, the judge presiding over Trump’s historic hush money trial in New York, found him in contempt of court for a tenth violation of the gag order, he warned the former president that he could face jail time if he continues to offend.

The judge acknowledged the momentousness of jailing a presidential candidate in an election year but told Mr Trump: “At the end of the day I have a job to do, and part of that job is to protect the dignity of the justice system.”

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