Hush money trial: All the wild defences Trump has given so far

Former president Donald Trump’s legal team has used various defences for — and attempts to delay — his hush money case in which he is accused of 34 counts of falsifying business records.

None of them so far have worked.

The first-ever criminal case against a sitting or former president began on Monday 15 April, with opening statements now expected on Monday 22 April. The case hinges on his efforts to conceal so-called hush money payments — one of which totalled $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Ahead of the 2016 presidential election, Mr Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen gave the money to Ms Daniels to prevent her from discussing her alleged 2006 affair with Mr Trump — which is said to have occurred one year after Mr Trump married Melania.

Mr Trump’s reaction to the hush money payment has gone through a rollercoaster of an evolution, landing him now in criminal court.

Here is a list of all of Mr Trump’s defences ahead of his hush money trial:

Claiming he didn’t know about the payment

Mr Trump at first repeatedly denied that the payment existed — as well as the