AFP New York

NY

Updated Thursday, February 15, 2024-16:17

  • Republican Party Donald Trump returns to the race for the White House more "angry" and "committed" than ever

  • North America Stormy Daniels: the storm that fell on Donald Trump

Former US President Donald Trump appeared this Thursday in a Manhattan court in a hearing in which the judge has set March 25 as the start date for the trial in the case of payments to buy the silence of the porn actress Stormy Daniels, in the middle of the electoral campaign to return to the White House.

So far, the numerous legal fronts facing the former president - who faces

91 criminal charges

- have not undermined his popularity, and polls give him a favorite in a possible duel against current president

Joe Biden

in November.

The billionaire is charged with 34 counts related to paying

$130,000

in 2016 to adult film star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, to keep her quiet about an alleged

extramarital affair

dating back to 2006 and that the politician has always denied.

The payments themselves are not illegal, but Trump recorded them as "legal fees" in the accounts of his company, the Trump Organization.

Likewise, according to court documents, the magnate bought

the silence of third parties at least two more times

. He paid $30,000 to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have information about the magnate's son from an extramarital affair, and another $150,000 to a woman who claimed to have an affair with the former president.

Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges against him on April 4 of last year and says he is the victim of a "witch hunt" to prevent him from returning to the White House.

The billionaire has not spared

criticism of Judge

Merchan, who already filed another case in 2022 against the family business for tax fraud. "HE HATES ME," he said on his Truth Social platform.

Experts do not believe that it will be easy for the prosecution to prove the accusations against the former president, so it is uncertain whether he could be sentenced to prison.

On the other hand, the fine that Judge Arthur F. Engoron, who investigated another case for

tax fraud

, is expected to be announced tomorrow, and which could rise to 370 million dollars as claimed by the prosecution, which would be added to the 83 .3 million that he has recently been sentenced to pay for defaming a writer who accused him of raping her in the 90s.