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Mentimeter – An Easy Way to Create Interactive Polls and Presentations

By Med Kharbach, PhD | Last Update: February 17, 2024

Mentimeter is a polling tool that allows you to create interactive presentations and quizzes with real-time voting. The way it works is simple:  use Mentimeter’s online editor to create interactive slides that embed different question types including Multiple Choice, Word Cloud, Open ended, Scales, Ranking, and Q&A.

When your quiz (Mentimeter calls it presentation) is ready,  share generated the code with your participants who can join using any mobile device with Internet connection. Participants can answer questions and view their results in real time. Final results can be downloaded and exported  for later analysis.

The purpose of this post is to introduce you to Mentimeter and walk you through some of the features it provides.

How to Use Mentimeter in Your Teaching?

Leveraging Mentimeter in your teaching opens a dynamic avenue for interactive learning and student engagement. Like other survey and polling tools I’ve explored, Mentimeter offers a rich suite of functionalities tailored for the educational setting. Here’s how you can integrate this versatile tool into your classroom activities:

• Formative Assessments Made Easy: Quickly gauge your students’ comprehension and pinpoint learning challenges with Mentimeter’s array of pre-designed formative assessment templates. It’s an efficient way to ensure your teaching strategies are hitting the mark.
• Boost Engagement with Interactive Presentations: Incorporate comprehension check questions directly after key slides to maintain student interest and confirm understanding as you go.
• Polling for Insightful Classroom Dynamics: Engage students in their learning journey by polling them on topics directly tied to their coursework. These polls can serve as powerful discussion triggers, encouraging lively classroom debates.
• Brainstorming Sessions Come to Life: Utilize the Word Cloud feature to visually highlight the most mentioned ideas during brainstorming sessions, bringing a new level of excitement to generating and discussing new concepts.
• Empowering Student Voices: Mentimeter encourages all students to participate in class decisions, giving them a platform to express their opinions and preferences in a democratic manner.
• Encourage Participation from Every Corner: With Mentimeter’s anonymous response option, even the most reserved students find a comfortable space to contribute their thoughts and feedback without the fear of being spotlighted.
• Icebreakers That Actually Break the Ice: Kick off your sessions with Mentimeter’s engaging icebreakers. Choose from a variety of pre-made templates that are sure to get students warmed up and ready for the lesson ahead.
• Exit Tickets Reimagined: Wrap up your classes with creative exit tickets that not only assess what students have learned but also end the session on a high note.

How to Create a Poll Using Mentimeter?

Creating a poll with Mentimeter is a streamlined process designed for ease and efficiency, allowing you to engage your audience in real-time. Here’s how to seamlessly set up your poll:

• Starting Your Poll: First, sign into your Mentimeter account. Navigate to your dashboard and select ‘New Presentation’. This is your first step towards creating an interactive session. Give your presentation a meaningful name that reflects its purpose or content.
• Choosing Your Slide Type: Once your presentation is named, it’s time to decide on the structure of your poll. Look to the right-hand panel of your screen; here, you’ll find three crucial tabs: Type, Content, and Customize. Begin with the ‘Type’ tab to explore the variety of slides you can include. Each slide type is designed for different interaction styles – from multiple choice to open-ended questions, ensuring you have the flexibility to tailor your poll according to your needs.
• Crafting Your Questions: After selecting your slide type, move to the ‘Content’ tab. This is where the core of your poll takes shape. Enter your questions here. The platform is intuitive, offering different customization options based on the question format you choose. Whether it’s a multiple-choice query requiring various responses or an open-ended question for more nuanced answers, Mentimeter allows you to fine-tune each detail. Enhance your questions with visual aids – images and GIFs can be uploaded directly or chosen from integrated libraries like Unsplash and Giphy, adding a dynamic element to your poll.
• Personalizing Your Presentation: The final step in the creation process is personalization. Switch to the ‘Customize’ tab to access a suite of settings for your slides. Here, you have the autonomy to manage how your poll is presented and interacted with by your audience. Adjust settings such as image display, voting options, visibility of instructions or results, and more, to fit the context and tone of your session. Further customize by selecting your preferred layout, text colors, and background hues to make your presentation visually appealing and aligned with your branding or thematic needs.

How to Create Quizzes in Mentimeter?

Crafting engaging quizzes in Mentimeter is a straightforward process that can significantly enhance the interactivity of your presentations. Mentimeter offers two primary quiz formats that cater to different engagement styles: the Select Answer Quiz, akin to a multiple-choice format where participants choose from provided options, and the Type Answer Quiz, which allows for open-ended responses where participants input their answers directly.

Here’s a streamlined guide to creating your interactive quiz with Mentimeter:

• Start by Logging In: Access your Mentimeter account to begin the quiz creation process.
• Initiate a New Presentation: Select ‘Create new presentation’ to embark on crafting your quiz.
• Navigate to the Content Tab: Here, you’ll find the option for ‘Quiz Competition’. Scrolling down to this section lets you dive into the quiz creation module.
• Select Your Question Type: Decide whether you’re going for a Select Answer or Type Answer quiz. This choice determines the nature of participant interaction—whether they’ll be selecting from given options or typing in their answers.
• Define the Correct Answer: For accuracy and scoring purposes, pinpoint the correct answer(s) for your questions.
• Customize Scoring Settings: Mentimeter allows you to tailor the scoring system. You can opt for ‘Faster answers to get more points’ to add a time-sensitive competitive edge, or ‘All correct answers get 1000 points’ for a more uniform scoring approach.
• Set the Timer: Decide on the duration participants have to respond. You can choose between automatic countdown initiation for a faster pace or manual control for more flexibility.
• Enhance Engagement with Music: Adding background music can elevate the quiz atmosphere, making it more lively and engaging.
• Incorporate a Leaderboard: To foster a competitive spirit, include a leaderboard within your quiz. You can position it at strategic points to showcase ongoing participant rankings.

By following these steps, you can create a Mentimeter quiz that’s not only interactive but also tailored to your presentation’s needs, making learning and engagement a more enjoyable experience for your audience.

How to Play Mentimeter Quiz?

Now that your quiz is created you can start presenting it in real time to up to 2000 players. Simply click on Present and you will be taken to the Initial Lobby that players join using their own avatars and nicknames. To start the quiz, you need at least one player to be present. Click on Enter on your keyboard or tap ‘Start countdown’ button.

Players are required to answer quiz questions as quickly as possible before the countdown ends. Results are displayed in real time. Mentimeter offers various pre-made quiz templates that you can use to create your own quizzes. 

How to Create a Word Cloud in Mentimeter?

Word clouds or wordle are visual representations of words. In a word cloud, prominence is accorded to words that appear more frequently in a piece of text, in this case, in your participants answers. 

Visualizing answers in word clouds will help you , the presenter, “to quickly collect data from [your] audience, highlight the most common answers and present the data in a way that everyone can understand.”. Mentimeter also provides a set of ready-made word cloud templates that you can use in your presentations.

Here is how to enable Word Cloud feature:

• Log in to your Mentimeter account
• Click on Create new presentation
• Under Type choose Word Cloud
• Type in your question
• Select the number of entries participants can provide 
• You can also choose whether you want to allow voters to vote more than once
• Click present

As participants start submitting their replies,  repeated words in their answers will show up larger in the the world cloud that is displayed on the screen. Watch this video to learn more about how to use Word Cloud feature in Mentimeter.

How to create Interactive Surveys in Mentimeter?

Surveys are especially useful for gathering feedback from participants.You can easily create and share surveys using  Mentimeter’s Survey Maker. You can embed various question types in your survey. Using their mobile devices, participants can take the survey at their time and you get to view their results in real time. You can download submissions and export findings for later analysis. 

Here is how to create an interactive survey in Mentimeter:

• Click create presentation
• Add the question types you want
• Go to Settings and click on Audience Pace
• Share the generated link or code that participants can use to access and respond to your survey.

What is Q&A in Mentimeter?

Q&A is a feature that allows presenters to hold live interactive question-and-answer sessions with their audience. Q&A enables your participants to ask you direct questions. As the presenter, you get to control on which slides you want your participants to ask you questions. 

You can also choose whether or not your participants can see each other’s questions. Premium users have access to the Moderation feature which enables presenters to approve or dismiss participants’ questions before they appear on the screen. 

Here is how to include Q&A in your presentation:

• Under Type choose Q&A 
• Type in your question and adjust the settings to your preference
• Share your presentation with participants

Watch this video to learn more about how to use Q&A 

How to Control your Presentation from Your Smartphone?

Mentimer  has this interesting feature called Mentimote that allows you, the presenter, to easily access and control your presentations right from your mobile device. You can walk around the room while presenting your slides and engaging with your participants. 

Mentimote allows you to remotely navigate between slides, view your presenter notes, open and close audience voting, moderate Q&A sessions, and more. Here is how Mentimote works:

• Log in to your Mentimeter account on your mobile device
• Open Mentimote on the presentation you want to deliver
• Start presenting

Watch  this video tutorial  to learn more about Mentimote

Ready-made Templates for Teachers

Mentimeter’s templates gallery includes tons of practical presentation and quiz templates to use in your own teaching. Simply browse through the selection, pick the template you are interested in, add it to your Mentimeter account and start using it the way you want. 

Premium users have the ability to edit slides. Some of the templates featured in the library include: science quiz, manage students’ expectations, weekly student reflection, formative assessment for physics, biology quiz, find the country, study methods, and many more.

Mentimeter App for Zoom

Mentimeter app allows you to deliver interactive presentations and quizzes directly in your Zoom meetings. You can insert live polls, word clouds, ranking, Q&A, and more. Participants can answer your quizzes and interact with your presentations without leaving Zoom meeting.

Watch this video to learn more about how to use Mentimeter app with zoom.

Mentimeter apps

Mentimeter is available as an app for Android , iOS , Zoom , and Microsoft .

How Much Does Mentimeter cost?

Mentimeter offers two plans: free and premium. The free plan is very limited in terms of features it provides. (e.g., supports only up to 2 question slides and 5 quiz slides). Premium plan offers three premium subscriptions with discounts for teachers and students. Basic costs $9.99/month ($6.99/month for teachers and students), Pro costs 24.99 ($14.99/month for teachers and students), Campus or Enterprise (ask for a quote)

More sources:

• Mentimeter polling (guides and tips by FET’s Innovation Unit)
• 70 Fun icebreaker questions for any occasion (Mentimeter blog)
• Mentimeter video tutorials (Mentimeter YouTube channel)
• 5 Awesome tips for presenting with Mentimeter for the first time (Mentimeter blog)
• How mentimeter fosters creativity (Mentimeter blog)
• Tips and tricks for teaching with Mentimeter (Mentimeter blog)
• How to use Mentimeter with PowerPoint (Video tutorial by Mentimeter)

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Meet Med Kharbach, PhD

Dr. Med Kharbach is an influential voice in the global educational technology landscape, with an extensive background in educational studies and a decade-long experience as a K-12 teacher. Holding a Ph.D. from Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Canada, he brings a unique perspective to the educational world by integrating his profound academic knowledge with his hands-on teaching experience. Dr. Kharbach's academic pursuits encompass curriculum studies, discourse analysis, language learning/teaching, language and identity, emerging literacies, educational technology, and research methodologies. His work has been presented at numerous national and international conferences and published in various esteemed academic journals.

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How-To Geek

6 ways to create more interactive powerpoint presentations.

Engage your audience with cool, actionable features.

Quick Links

• Add a QR code
• Embed Microsoft Forms (Education or Business Only)
• Embed a Live Web Page
• Add Links and Menus
• Add Clickable Images to Give More Info
• Add a Countdown Timer

We've all been to a presentation where the speaker bores you to death with a mundane PowerPoint presentation. Actually, the speaker could have kept you much more engaged by adding some interactive features to their slideshow. Let's look into some of these options.

1. Add a QR code

Adding a QR code can be particularly useful if you want to direct your audience to an online form, website, or video.

Some websites have in-built ways to create a QR code. For example, on Microsoft Forms , when you click "Collect Responses," you'll see the QR code option via the icon highlighted in the screenshot below. You can either right-click the QR code to copy and paste it into your presentation, or click "Download" to add it to your device gallery to insert the QR code as a picture.

In fact, you can easily add a QR code to take your viewer to any website. On Microsoft Edge, right-click anywhere on a web page where there isn't already a link, and left-click "Create QR Code For This Page."

You can also create QR codes in other browsers, such as Chrome.

You can then copy or download the QR code to use wherever you like in your presentation.

2. Embed Microsoft Forms (Education or Business Only)

If you plan to send your PPT presentation to others—for example, if you're a trainer sending step-by-step instruction presentation, a teacher sending an independent learning task to your students, or a campaigner for your local councilor sending a persuasive PPT to constituents—you might want to embed a quiz, questionnaire, pole, or feedback survey in your presentation.

In PowerPoint, open the "Insert" tab on the ribbon, and in the Forms group, click "Forms". If you cannot see this option, you can add new buttons to the ribbon .

As at April 2024, this feature is only available for those using their work or school account. We're using a Microsoft 365 Personal account in the screenshot below, which is why the Forms icon is grayed out.

Then, a sidebar will appear on the right-hand side of your screen, where you can either choose a form you have already created or opt to craft a new form.

Now, you can share your PPT presentation with others , who can click the fields and submit their responses when they view the presentation.

3. Embed a Live Web Page

You could always screenshot a web page and paste that into your PPT, but that's not a very interactive addition to your presentation. Instead, you can embed a live web page into your PPT so that people with access to your presentation can interact actively with its contents.

To do this, we will need to add an add-in to our PPT account .

Add-ins are not always reliable or secure. Before installing an add-in to your Microsoft account, check that the author is a reputable company, and type the add-in's name into a search engine to read reviews and other users' experiences.

To embed a web page, add the Web Viewer add-in ( this is an add-in created by Microsoft ).

Go to the relevant slide and open the Web Viewer add-in. Then, copy and paste the secure URL into the field box, and remove https:// from the start of the address. In our example, we will add a selector wheel to our slide. Click "Preview" to see a sample of the web page's appearance in your presentation.

This is how ours will look.

When you or someone with access to your presentation views the slideshow, this web page will be live and interactive.

4. Add Links and Menus

As well as moving from one slide to the next through a keyboard action or mouse click, you can create links within your presentation to direct the audience to specific locations.

To create a link, right-click the outline of the clickable object, and click "Link."

In the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, click "Place In This Document," choose the landing destination, and click "OK."

What's more, to make it clear that an object is clickable, you can use action buttons. Open the "Insert" tab on the ribbon, click "Shape," and then choose an appropriate action button. Usefully, PPT will automatically prompt you to add a link to these shapes.

You might also want a menu that displays on every slide. Once you have created the menu, add the links using the method outlined above. Then, select all the items, press Ctrl+C (copy), and then use Ctrl+V to paste them in your other slides.

5. Add Clickable Images to Give More Info

Through PowerPoint's animations, you can give your viewer the power to choose what they see and when they see it. This works nicely whether you're planning to send your presentation to others to run through independently or whether you're presenting in front of a group and want your audience to decide which action they want to take.

Start by creating the objects that will be clickable (trigger) and the items that will appear (pop-up).

Then, select all the pop-ups together. When you click "Animations" on the ribbon and choose an appropriate animation for the effect you want to achieve, this will be applied to all objects you have selected.

The next step is to rename the triggers in your presentation. To do this, open the "Home" tab, and in the Editing group, click "Select", and then "Selection Pane."

With the Selection Pane open, select each trigger on your slide individually, and rename them in the Selection Pane, so that they can be easily linked to in the next step.

Finally, go back to the first pop-up. Open the "Animations" tab, and in the Advanced Animation group, click the "Trigger" drop-down arrow. Then, you can set the item to appear when a trigger is clicked in your presentation.

If you want your item to disappear when the trigger is clicked again, select the pop-up, click "Add Animation" in the Advanced Animation group, choose an Exit animation, and follow the same step to link that animation to the trigger button.

6. Add a Countdown Timer

A great way to get your audience to engage with your PPT presentation is to keep them on edge by adding a countdown timer. Whether you're leading a presentation and want to let your audience stop to discuss a topic, or running an online quiz with time-limit questions, having a countdown timer means your audience will keep their eye on your slide throughout.

To do this, you need to animate text boxes or shapes containing your countdown numbers. Choose and format a shape and type the highest number that your countdown clock will need. In our case, we're creating a 10-second timer.

Now, with your shape selected, open the "Animations" tab on the ribbon and click the animation drop-down arrow. Then, in the Exit menu, click "Disappear."

Open the Animation Pane, and click the drop-down arrow next to the animation you've just added. From there, choose "Timing."

Make sure "On Click" is selected in the Start menu, and change the Delay option to "1 second," before clicking "OK."

Then, with this shape still selected, press Ctrl+C (copy), and then Ctrl+V (paste). In the second box, type 9 . With the Animation Pane still open and this second shape selected, click the drop-down arrow and choose "Timing" again. Change the Start option to "After Previous," and make sure the Delay option is 1 second. Then, click "OK."

We can now use this second shape as our template, as when we copy and paste it again, the animations will also duplicate. With this second shape selected, press Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V, type 8 into the box, and continue to do the same until you get to 0 .

Next, remove the animations from the "0" box, as you don't want this to disappear. To do this, click the shape, and in the Animation Pane drop-down, click "Remove."

You now need to layer them in order. Right-click the box containing number 1, and click "Bring To Front." You will now see that box on the top. Do the same with the other numbers in ascending order.

Finally, you need to align the objects together. Click anywhere on your slide and press Ctrl+A. Then, in the Home tab on the ribbon, click "Arrange." First click "Align Center," and then bring the menu up again, so that you can click "Align Middle."

Press Ctrl+A again to select your timer, and you can then move your timer or copy and paste it elsewhere.

Press F5 to see the presentation in action, and when you get to the slide containing the timer, click anywhere on the slide to see your countdown timer in action!

Now that your PPT presentation is more interactive, make sure you've avoided these eight common presentational mistakes before you present your slides.

• Draft and add content
• Rewrite text
• Chat with Copilot
• Create a summary
• Copilot in Word on mobile devices
• Frequently asked questions
• Create a new presentation
• Add a slide or image
• Summarize your presentation
• Organize your presentation
• Use your organization's branding
• Copilot in PowerPoint for mobile devices
• Draft an Outlook email message
• Summarize an email thread
• Suggested drafts in Outlook
• Email coaching
• Get started with Copilot in Excel
• Identify insights
• Highlight, sort, and filter your data
• Generate formula columns
• Summarize your OneNote notes
• Create a to-do list and tasks
• Create project plans in OneNote

Create a new presentation with Copilot in PowerPoint

Note:  This feature is available to customers with a Copilot for Microsoft 365 license or Copilot Pro license.

Create a new presentation in PowerPoint.

Select Send . Copilot will draft a presentation for you!

Edit the presentation to suit your needs, ask Copilot to add a slide , or start over with a new presentation and refine your prompt to include more specifics. For example, "Create a presentation about hybrid meeting best practices that includes examples for team building.”

Create a presentation with a template

Note:  This feature is only available to customers with a Copilot for Microsoft 365 (work) license. It is not currently available to customers with a Copilot Pro (home) license.

Copilot can use your existing themes and templates to create a presentation. Learn more about making your presentations look great with Copilot in PowerPoint .

Enter your prompt or select Create presentation from file to create a first draft of your presentation using your theme or template.

Edit the presentation to suit your needs, ask Copilot to add a slide , organize your presentation, or add images.

Create a presentation from a file with Copilot

Note:  This feature is only available to customers with a Copilot for Microsoft 365 (work) license. It is not currently available to customers with a Copilot Pro (home) license.

With Copilot in PowerPoint, you can create a presentation from an existing Word document. Point Copilot in PowerPoint to your Word document, and it will generate slides, apply layouts, create speaker notes, and choose a theme for you.

Select the Word document you want from the picker that appears. If you don't see the document you want, start typing any part of the filename to search for it.

Note:  If the file picker doesn't appear type a front slash (/) to cause it to pop up.

Best practices when creating a presentation from a Word document

Leverage word styles to help copilot understand the structure of your document.

By using Styles in Word to organize your document, Copilot will better understand your document structure and how to break it up into slides of a presentation. Structure your content under Titles and Headers when appropriate and Copilot will do its best to generate a presentation for you.

Include images that are relevant to your presentation

When creating a presentation, Copilot will try to incorporate the images in your Word document. If you have images that you would like to be brought over to your presentation, be sure to include them in your Word document.

Start with your organization’s template

If your organization uses a standard template, start with this file before creating a presentation with Copilot. Starting with a template will let Copilot know that you would like to retain the presentation’s theme and design. Copilot will use existing layouts to build a presentation for you. Learn more about Making your presentations look great with Copilot in PowerPoint .

Tip:  Copilot works best with Word documents that are less than 24 MB.

Welcome to Copilot in PowerPoint

Frequently Asked Questions about Copilot in PowerPoint

Where can I get Microsoft Copilot?

Copilot Lab - Start your Copilot journey

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AI + Machine Learning , Announcements , Azure AI Content Safety , Azure AI Studio , Azure OpenAI Service , Partners

Introducing GPT-4o: OpenAI’s new flagship multimodal model now in preview on Azure

By Eric Boyd Corporate Vice President, Azure AI Platform, Microsoft

Posted on May 13, 2024 2 min read

• Tag: Copilot
• Tag: Generative AI

Microsoft is thrilled to announce the launch of GPT-4o, OpenAI’s new flagship model on Azure AI. This groundbreaking multimodal model integrates text, vision, and audio capabilities, setting a new standard for generative and conversational AI experiences. GPT-4o is available now in Azure OpenAI Service, to try in preview , with support for text and image.

Azure OpenAI Service

A step forward in generative AI for Azure OpenAI Service

GPT-4o offers a shift in how AI models interact with multimodal inputs. By seamlessly combining text, images, and audio, GPT-4o provides a richer, more engaging user experience.

Launch highlights: Immediate access and what you can expect

Azure OpenAI Service customers can explore GPT-4o’s extensive capabilities through a preview playground in Azure OpenAI Studio starting today in two regions in the US. This initial release focuses on text and vision inputs to provide a glimpse into the model’s potential, paving the way for further capabilities like audio and video.

Efficiency and cost-effectiveness

GPT-4o is engineered for speed and efficiency. Its advanced ability to handle complex queries with minimal resources can translate into cost savings and performance.

Potential use cases to explore with GPT-4o

The introduction of GPT-4o opens numerous possibilities for businesses in various sectors: 

• Enhanced customer service : By integrating diverse data inputs, GPT-4o enables more dynamic and comprehensive customer support interactions.
• Advanced analytics : Leverage GPT-4o’s capability to process and analyze different types of data to enhance decision-making and uncover deeper insights.
• Content innovation : Use GPT-4o’s generative capabilities to create engaging and diverse content formats, catering to a broad range of consumer preferences.

Exciting future developments: GPT-4o at Microsoft Build 2024 

We are eager to share more about GPT-4o and other Azure AI updates at Microsoft Build 2024 , to help developers further unlock the power of generative AI.

Get started with Azure OpenAI Service

Begin your journey with GPT-4o and Azure OpenAI Service by taking the following steps:

• Try out GPT-4o in Azure OpenAI Service Chat Playground (in preview).
• If you are not a current Azure OpenAI Service customer, apply for access by completing this form .
• Learn more about  Azure OpenAI Service  and the  latest enhancements.  
• Understand responsible AI tooling available in Azure with Azure AI Content Safety .
• Review the OpenAI blog on GPT-4o.

Let us know what you think of Azure and what you would like to see in the future.

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'Don’t roll your eyes': Trump defense witness gets judge's warning. What you missed on Day 19 of the hush money trial.

After days of trying to dismantle Donald Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen’s credibility, the defense began presenting its own case, calling two witnesses that may make up the totality of its presentation.  

It was during a defense witness' testimony that one of the most heated exchanges of the trial erupted. As attorney Robert Costello grumbled and groused, New York state Judge Juan Merchan grew increasingly irate, asking the jury to leave so he could admonish the witness and ultimately clearing the court in Manhattan of reporters and cutting off feeds to the overflow room where the media is assembled. 

“If you don’t like my ruling, you don’t give me side eye, and you don’t roll your eyes,” Merchan said before he asked, “Are you staring me down?”

Merchan then ordered the room cleared. 

Later, Trump implied Merchan had done so to hand the prosecution a break, telling reporters that the “highly political” and “conflicted” judge “just did something that nobody’s ever seen” after Costello began to impugn “his highly political motive.”

“Nobody’s ever seen anything like this,” Trump added.

Here’s what you missed on Day 19 of Trump’s hush money trial:

Trump's witnesses seek to undermine Cohen

The defense's efforts to discredit Cohen didn't end when he left the stand.

The second witness called — after a paralegal for the defense team who testified about tracking phone calls made by Cohen — was Robert Costello. He is an attorney who Cohen said had offered him a “back channel” to Trump after federal authorities searched Cohen’s home, office and safety deposit box in 2018.

Costello testified that Cohen told him numerous times, “I swear to God, Bob, I don’t have anything on Donald Trump,” and that he paid Stormy Daniels "on his own.” 

It wasn't the first time Costello had provided testimony in this case. He also testified before the grand jury that indicted Trump, at the request of Trump's defense team. His testimony at that time didn't persuade the grand jury not to indict.

On the stand Monday, Costello said Cohen appeared “absolutely manic” after the FBI searched his home and his hotel room. 

Cohen last week said that he believed he was under a “pressure campaign” by Trump and his allies and that he was being railroaded into working with Costello, an attorney he didn't trust and who would protect Trump at his expense.

Trump’s lawyers had told Merchan early Monday that they weren't sure they would call Costello, but they did, and fireworks ensued as he drew repeated objections from prosecutors and ruffled Merchan's typically calm demeanor.

“I’m not going to allow this to become a trial within a trial about a pressure campaign and how it affected Cohen,” Merchan swiped at one point.

Visibly irritated at the interruptions, Costello grumbled at Merchan's instructions to control his response, drawing fiery blowback from him.

Credibility

Trump lawyer Todd Blanche's cross-examination of Cohen sometimes seemed to meander, but on Monday he appeared to land another blow in his effort to undermine the witness's credibility.

Blanche pressed Cohen about how he lied to Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg about how much was owed to a third party when Cohen felt shortchanged on his bonus.

Cohen admitted giving Weisselberg the wrong number.

“You stole from the Trump Organization, right?” Blanche said.

“Yes, sir,” Cohen replied.

Cohen said felt he was owed money after his bonus was cut by two-thirds and embittered after he went out on a limb for Trump, personally and financially. “It was very upsetting, to say the least,” Cohen said of the slashed bonus.

Prosecutors work to restore Cohen’s credibility 

Prosecutors used their re-direct examination to try to restore some of Cohen's credibility and offer long explanations to answers he gave under Blanche's questioning.

Cohen repeated his testimony about Trump's role in the hush money scheme, saying he had “no doubt” that he discussed the matter with him. Trump told him to “work it out” with Weisselberg, he said, and he reiterated that he wouldn't have paid Daniels without such an assurance. 

The district attorney’s office tried to end it on a personal note.

But the stakes for Cohen today are nowhere as close, he said, suggesting there is no need for him to lie. “My life was on the line, my liberty,” Cohen said, as was his wife’s. “Here, I’m just a nonparty witness.”

Scheduling confusion 

The schedule was in tumult at times Monday. When trial proceedings wrapped last week, Merchan told the lawyers to be prepared to deliver closing arguments Tuesday. But before testimony even resumed Monday morning, the end of the trial had already been delayed by another week.

That’s because it wasn’t clear whether witness testimony was going to be finished by the end of the day Monday and whether there would be enough time for closing arguments, jury instructions and then deliberations to begin before the long holiday weekend. So Merchan decided to let witness testimony conclude this week and then take off for the holiday.

Then, another twist was added when the defense and the prosecution argued over entering a photo from a C-SPAN video. To be able to enter the photo, the prosecution asked to bring in another witness, requesting to do so Tuesday morning. But Trump’s lawyers objected, saying they had two witnesses waiting and wanted to conclude by the end of the day. Eventually, they reached an agreement. But Costello's testimony — lengthened by the courtroom clearing — wasn't over by the end of the day, requiring all parties to return Tuesday morning.

As it looks now, Merchan and lawyers will meet Thursday to discuss jury instructions. The trial will take Friday and Monday off for Memorial Day, and closing arguments will be next week.

Katherine Doyle is a White House reporter for NBC News.