Former President Donald Trump boasted that adult film actress Stormy Daniels preferred him over former NFL quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, according to testimony from Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, in the ongoing hush money trial. Cohen testified on Monday, recalling a conversation from 2016 in which Trump discussed a 2006 meeting with Daniels.
“He [Trump] told me that he was playing golf with Big Ben Roethlisberger… and they had met Stormy Daniels and others there,” Cohen recounted. Trump allegedly claimed that “Women prefer him even over someone like Big Ben.” Roethlisberger’s name had also come up last week when Daniels testified under oath, mentioning that the quarterback was with Trump during one of their initial encounters, as reported by the Daily Mail.
In her 2018 memoir, Full Disclosure, Daniels described an unsettling experience with Roethlisberger. She alleged that after meeting Trump, the former president asked Roethlisberger to walk her back to her hotel room. Daniels said Roethlisberger asked for a goodnight kiss, which she declined, and he reportedly lingered outside her door, knocking persistently.
This incident aligns with previous accusations against Roethlisberger. In 2010, a woman in Georgia accused the NFL star of sexual assault, though no charges were filed. The Manhattan District Attorney’s case against Trump, led by Alvin Bragg, includes 34 felony charges related to hush money payments made in 2016 to prevent Daniels from going public about her affair with Trump.
During his testimony, Cohen recalled rushing to Trump’s office upon learning that Daniels intended to reveal the affair. Trump instructed him to “take care of it,” and Cohen admitted to arranging the payment. He was later sentenced to three years for offenses related to this payment. Cohen also testified that Trump was deeply concerned about the potential fallout if Daniels’ account became public.
According to Cohen, Trump said, “Women will hate me. Guys may think this is cool, but this is going to be a disaster for the campaign.” Cohen added that Trump wasn’t thinking about his wife, Melania, at the time—his primary concern was the impact on his 2016 presidential campaign. Cohen testified that Trump directed him to “get control” of any damaging stories, which led to the implementation of the “catch and kill” scheme designed to bury negative reports.