Michael Cohen returned to the stand Tuesday to continue his testimony regarding the alleged $130,000 “hush money” payment given to adult film actress Stormy Daniels after an affair with former President Donald Trump.

Key takeaways from Michael Cohen’s cross-examination

Trump’s defense attorney Todd Blanche began his cross-examination of Cohen, the prosecution’s star witness, and went on the offense from the beginning, The New York Times reported.

Blanche tries to discredit Cohen

On the witness stand, Cohen received scrutiny for his blunt remarks on social media. Blanche focused on Cohen’s recent activity on platforms like TikTok, where he has openly criticized his former employer while discussing the ongoing trial. According to Courthouse News Service, Cohen acknowledged calling Trump obscene names and also admitted to saying Trump should be confined to a “cage.”

NBC News reported that Blanche’s questioning appeared to be an attempt to show Cohen was not trustworthy, focusing on his motivations to attack Trump.

Cohen was asked by Blanche about a podcast episode he appeared on in 2020, where he said Trump needs to wear handcuffs and that “people will not be satisfied until this man is sitting inside a cell.”

“I wouldn’t put it past me,” Cohen testified.

Trump’s defense attorney focused on past lies and crimes committed by Cohen. “At one point, Blanche asked if Cohen was serving his jail sentence at his apartment in 2020,” the Courthouse News Service reported.

“‘Condo,’ Cohen clarified,” per Courthouse News Service.

Cohen allegedly was once a loyal defender of Trump when he was his attorney and problem fixer. “Cohen explained that he lied on Trump’s behalf to Congress in 2017 during the Russia investigation, and that he was ‘misleading’ when he told the Federal Election Commission about the $130,000 payment to Daniels in a 2018 letter,” as reported by CNN.

“At that time, I was knee-deep into the cult of Donald Trump,” Cohen said.

Cohen’s demeanor

Cohen appeared “calm, decisive and sometimes humble” when he first took the witness stand, according to The Washington Post. Once cross-examination began, the Post noted, they got a “different version” of him.

His answers were often indecisive to Trump’s defense attorney, including responses like “I might have,” “sounds like something I would say,” and “I don’t recall that either,” according to The Washington Post.

Trump’s response

After the day’s proceedings, Trump vented his frustration to the cameras outside the courtroom in regards to the judge’s gag order. “I think it’s totally unconstitutional,” Trump said, per NBC News.

Trump said although he was prevented from discussing Cohen, he believed the cross-examination went well.

“Today we had a very good day,” Trump said, per USA Today.

According to NBC News, Trump said, “Can you believe I’ve been here for five weeks instead of campaigning? They want to keep me in here as long as possible.”