Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York continues on Tuesday with some of the most dramatic testimony so far in the trial.

Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was called as a witness.

Related: Judge denies mistrial request by Trump defense over Stormy Daniels' testimony

Daniels described her hotel encounter with Trump.

She talked about meeting Trump at the Lake Tahoe celebrity golf tournament. Daniels said she declined a dinner invitation from Trump but his bodyguard took her phone number and later messaged her to come to his hotel.

She was planning to go to dinner with people from her company but her publicist encouraged her to go to dinner with Trump instead.

When she went into the hotel room she says Trump was wearing wearing satin pajamas.

She testified that she asked Trump to change and he returned wearing a dress shirt and dress pants.

Daniels testified that Trump said it was too early for dinner and started asking questions about her life and work.

At one point she says they had a "very brief" conversation about his wife, Melania.

She recalled saying, "We don't sleep in the same room." 

Trump closed his eyes, shook his head and murmured to his attorneys as said this, CNN reported.

Daniels claimed that Trump told her that she should go on his television show, The Apprentice.

After a short court break, Daniels returned to the stand.

She says they talked for about two hours.  She says she went to the bathroom and returned to Trump sitting on the bed in his boxers and t-shirt.

She said that startled her but a short time later she was undressed and in bed with him.

Daniels testified that after the sex was over, "I just left as fast as I could. That was it."

She claimed that Trump did not ask her to not tell anyone about the encounter.

Daniels testified that they met in public the next day while Trump was at a table with NFL quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

She said she began speaking with Trump often after the encounter, as often as once a week.

They met again in 2007 at Trump's vodka launch party.

Trump allegedly asked if she had plans that night but she said she lied and told him her friend were "flying out on a girls trip."

She then brought up other times they met in public. She said she continued to meet with them because she thought participation in The Apprentice could still be in play.

After a lunch break, and the judge denied the request for a mistrial, Daniels returned to the stand for more questioning.

Early in the morning, Trump had posted on his Truth Social that he was "recently told" who the witness would be on Tuesday and complained his lawyers had "no time to prepare." He later deleted the post. Prosecutors have previously given an entire list of witnesses they will call but not their order in an effort to limit attacks by the former president.

As court got underway, Trump's lawyers objected to her testifying, particularly about any sexual acts.

Judge Juan Merchan said he agreed that Stormy Daniel's has credibility issues, but that's why the prosecutors need to be given a chance to establish her credibility, CNN reported.

Daniels was the second witness of the day.

Sally Franklin, a top editor for publisher Penguin Random House, was called to the stand as the first witness of the day.

Prosecutors say their case could take another two weeks.

On Monday, Judge Juan Merchan ruled that Trump had violated a gag order in the case for a 10th time. He fined Trump $1,000 and warned that future violations could result in jail time.

Prosecutors called to testify former Trump Organization controller Jeffrey McConney on Monday. 

Jurors for the first time heard the details of the financial transactions at the center of the case.

Prosecutors showed the jury payment checks bearing Trump's signature.

During cross-examination, McConney said that Trump never asked him to log the reimbursements as legal expenses or discussed the matter with him.

Prosecutors are building toward their main witnesses, former porn star Stormy Daniels and former Trump lawyer and personal fixer Michael Cohen.

Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with payments Cohen made to Daniels, who claimed she had sex with Trump. She was paid for rights to her story to keep the information hidden from voters, prosecutors are arguing.

The hush money was recorded as Trump's business legal expenses, but was actually part of his campaign, according to the charges against him.

The former president has pleaded not guilty.

On Friday, Trump's former communications director Hope Hicks testified of the "crisis" his infamous "Access Hollywood" tape presented to his 2016 presidential campaign just weeks before the election.

Trump boasted off camera on the 2005 tape about his celebrity in his "Apprentice" reality series, and what that meant he could do to women.

"When you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. ... Grab 'em by the p---- [genitals]," he bragged. "You can do anything."

Trump did not deny the tape after it was released, but merely dismissed his words as "locker room talk."

Daniels' story emerged in the wings almost immediately afterward just as Trump's attitude toward women was threatening the success of his campaign.