How much did Michael Cohen pay Stormy Daniels and was Trump reimbursed?
Executive summary
Michael Cohen testified that he paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 in October 2016 to secure her silence and said he was reimbursed for that payment by Donald Trump, a reimbursement prosecutors say was concealed in falsified business records [1] [2] [3]. The Manhattan district attorney’s case rests on Cohen’s account that the $130,000 payoff was fronted by him and later repaid through transactions disguised as legal expenses, while the defense attacks Cohen’s credibility and disputes aspects of his narrative [3] [4] [5].
1. The payment: Michael Cohen’s $130,000 wire to Stormy Daniels
Courtroom testimony and contemporaneous reporting agree on the core money figure: Michael Cohen paid adult-film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 in October 2016 to obtain a nondisclosure agreement, and Cohen himself has admitted that he made the payment [6] [1] [7]. Prosecutors describe that wire and related bank activity as the nucleus of the case alleging the payment was meant to influence the 2016 presidential race by silencing a potentially damaging story [2] [3].
2. Reimbursement: Cohen’s testimony that Trump reimbursed him, and prosecutors’ theory
Cohen testified that Donald Trump instructed him to “handle” the Daniels matter and that Trump promised to repay him; prosecutors argue that Trump did reimburse Cohen and that the reimbursements were concealed by falsely labeling them as legal fees or other business expenses, forming the basis for 34 counts of falsifying business records against the former president [6] [2] [3]. Multiple outlets and court filings describe a scheme in which Cohen and Trump Organization finance executives discussed repaying Cohen in installments and masking those payments in the company’s books [8] [3].
3. Numbers beyond $130,000: reported totals and conflicting testimony
While the Daniels payoff itself is consistently reported as $130,000, Cohen has also testified about receiving larger sums in reimbursements overall; one report states Cohen claimed he was “reimbursed $420,000,” a figure that reflects multiple reimbursements Cohen says he received for various expenses, not just the Daniels payment alone, and that has been cited by some outlets [5]. Prosecutors focus on the $130,000 reimbursement tied to Daniels as the chargeable act, while defense attorneys point to inconsistencies and to the broader context of payments to argue Cohen’s testimony cannot be trusted [4] [5].
4. Trump’s acknowledgment and defense posture
Public statements and reporting show that President Trump has both denied the underlying affair and, at times, acknowledged reimbursing his personal attorney for the payment; FactCheck and other outlets note Trump’s 2018 tweets and later statements acknowledging reimbursement while contesting legal culpability [1] [9]. At trial, Trump’s lawyers have vigorously attacked Cohen’s credibility, highlighting earlier statements in which Cohen minimized Trump’s involvement and arguing there is conflicting testimony about how and why reimbursements were handled [4] [5].
5. What is proved in court versus what remains contested
The payment of $130,000 by Cohen to Daniels is an established factual cornerstone used by prosecutors [1] [7]; whether and exactly how Trump repaid Cohen—while central to the indictment—depends on contested evidence about intent and record-keeping practices, with prosecutors asserting a reimbursement scheme disguised as legal fees and the defense challenging Cohen’s reliability and the legal interpretation of those entries [3] [4]. Public reporting and court transcripts show prosecutors presented meetings, bank records and testimony about repayments, while defense counsel emphasized inconsistencies in Cohen’s prior statements and motivations for testifying [8] [5].
6. Bottom line
Michael Cohen paid Stormy Daniels $130,000, a fact Cohen admitted and that prosecutors used as the linchpin of their case [1] [7]. Cohen testified that Trump promised and did reimburse him, and prosecutors allege those repayments were concealed in falsified records—an allegation Trump denies and that the defense seeks to discredit by attacking Cohen’s credibility and the interpretation of the financial entries [2] [3] [4].