The opening week of Donald Trump’s historic hush money trial offered plenty of insights into how his 2016 presidential campaign teamed up with a tabloid publisher to silence embarrassing stories from women who said they’d had extramarital affairs with him.

David Pecker, the former chief executive of the firm that published the National Enquirer, spent the majority of the week on the witness stand. Prosecutors wanted to use Pecker’s testimony to showcase the former president’s involvement in paying off women. Trump is accused of falsifying business records to cover up the payment of $130,000 to silence porn star Stormy Daniels.

Prosecutors said the payment’s purpose was to influence the 2016 election. Trump’s lawyers countered that the payment had nothing to do with the election, but instead was a standard nondisclosure agreement meant to protect his reputation and brand.

Here are five takeaways from the first week:

Influencing the Election?

Pecker testified that he promised to serve as the “eyes and ears” of the Trump campaign, promised to publish positive stories about Trump and attack his rivals. Pecker said he would tell Trump’s attorney, Michael Cohen, whenever he heard about women shopping stories.

Pecker explained why his firm, American Media Inc., paid $150,000 to former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal to keep quiet about her claims of a yearlong affair with Trump.

Pecker said he expected plenty of women to come forward with stories about Trump when he was running for president and because “Mr. Trump was well-known as the most eligible bachelor and dated the most beautiful women.”

Trump’s lawyers sought to debunk the election influence attack, suggesting that Pecker made similar deals with other celebrities without any political considerations.

Tabloid Journalism

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