Trump tries to block Stormy Daniels from testifying at hush money trial as DA requests gag order: Live

Trump tells Joe Biden ‘You’re fired’ as he wins South Carolina Republican primary

Donald Trump’s lawyers have moved to block the porn star Stormy Daniels, ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal and the businessman’s former fixer Michael Cohen from testifying at his New York hush money criminal trial, which is set to begin next month.

Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg accuses Mr Trump of falsifying business records in order to conceal payments made to Ms Daniels and Ms McDougal by Mr Cohen during the 2016 election in order to buy their silence about earlier extramarital affairs he is alleged to have had with both women.

The Republican presidential candidate denies the affairs and has pleaded not guilty to the 34 felony charges he faces.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche submitted a 47-page motion yesterday attacking the credibility of the potential witnesses, suggesting Ms Daniels would offer “false” and “salacious” testimony and calling Mr Cohen a “liar”.

Also on Monday, Mr Bragg requested that Mr Trump be placed under a gag order to prevent him from engaging in “violent rhetoric and public attacks” around the case, while the candidate appealed the $454m judgement in his separate New York civil fraud trial.

He is up against Nikki Haley in the Michigan Republican primary today.

The $454m judgment against Trump is increasing by more than $110,000 each day due to interest penalties.

And New York attorney general Letitia James, who is preprared to seize his assets if necessary, is not going to let him forget it.

When the final judgement in the sprawling fraud trial against Trump, his adult sons Donald Jr and Eric Trump and former Trump Organization executives was approved on Friday, the attorney general’s X account posted the