Donald Trump has paid the $9,000 he was fined for violating the limited gag order in the case, according to a court official.

Trump made the payment yesterday using two cashiers checks -- one for $2,000 and another for $7,000.

Trump on Tuesday was ordered by Judge Merchan to pay the $9,000 fine -- $1,000 for each of Trump's nine violations -- by the close of business today.

Exiting court, Trump spoke briefly with reporters before departing the courthouse.

"I was very interested in what took place today," Trump said of the 11th day of his criminal trial.

The former president wished everyone a good weekend before departing.

-ABC News' Kelsey Walsh and Mike Pappano

"We are going to call it a week at this time," Judge Merchan told the jury, dismissing them for the weekend.

The judge then gathered attorneys for both sides to continue the case's Sandoval hearing, begun last week, about the limit on Trump's potential testimony.

Defense attorney Todd Blanche objected to Trump being cross-examined on his gag order violations.

"Injecting into the cross-examination a finding by your honor beyond a reasonable doubt of contempt ... it puts a layer on top of the testimony," Blanche said. "It invites a sideshow that the People don't need."

Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo argued that the gag order violations are relevant to Trump's credibility because if he violated the gag order, he similarly might "violate his obligation to tell the truth."

"These findings are relevant to the defendant's credibility if he chooses to testify," he said.

Issuing his ruling, Merchan denied the prosecution's request to cross-examine Trump on the gag order violations, finding that a determination from the court would be too prejudicial for the jury to overlook.

"I agree with Mr. Blanche," Merchan said, ending the week's proceedings.

Longtime Trump aide Hope Hicks reached for a glass of water as defense attorney Emil Bove, who has slowed the pace of his questioning, returned to the topic of the "Access Hollywood" tape.

Hicks said that Trump wanted his family to be proud of him, reinforcing the defense argument that Trump was just trying to protect his family amid negative press ahead of the 2016 election.

"I don't think he wanted anyone in his family to be hurt or embarrassed by anything that was happening on the campaign," Hicks said. "He wanted them to be proud of him."

Throughout her cross-examination, Hicks sprinkled her testimony with positive remarks about Trump.

"He likes to call and praise people for stories, even if they were not about him," Hicks said of Trump's interactions with the media. "He does a really nice job of maintaining relationships and always being willing to engage with the media."

When asked about her role in Trump's presidential campaign, Hicks responded, "I have only been on one campaign but it was a great one."

Trump, through much of this testimony, sat back in his chair, clasping his open hands over his chest.

Bove subsequently concluded his cross-examination and Hicks stepped down off the stand.

She appeared to give a side-eye glance at Trump as she left. As she walked by, Trump turned his head and watched her walk toward the exit.

Sometime in mid-December 2016, after the election, Keith Davidson and Michael Cohen spoke by phone, and Cohen unloaded on Trump.

In Davidson's recollection, Cohen told him, "Jesus Christ, can you f----- believe I'm not going to Washington? After everything I've done for that f----- guy. I can't believe I'm not going to Washington. I've saved that guy's ass so many times you don't even know."

"That guy's not even paid me the 130,000 back," Davidson said Cohen told him.

Davidson was then asked about his actions in January 2018 when the Wall Street Journal reached out for comment about the Stormy Daniels contract.

"They wanted a comment on any interaction regarding Stormy Daniels and Donald Trump," Davidson said.

"Nothing about the present day regurgitation of these rumors causes us to rethink our prior denial issued in 2011," Davidson wrote in response to the request for comment in 2018. Davidson had sent a cease-and-desist letter in 2011 when the affair was mentioned on a blog.

Davidson said he forwarded the comment to Michael Cohen given their aligned interest at the time.

Jurors were shown the January 10, 2018 denial issued by Stormy Daniels, which Davidson said he wrote.

"An extremely strict reading of this denial would technically be true," Davidson testified. "I don't think anyone ever alleged that any interaction between she and Mr. Trump was romantic."

"OK," Steinglass responded, prompting some laughs from the gallery.

"It wasn't a payoff and it wasn't hush money -- it was consideration in a civil settlement," Davidson said.