Donald Trump’s dramatic testimony at civil fraud trial

Former president finally takes stand, puts on a show

Former President Donald Trump (Getty)

TRD Staff

Nov 6, 2023, 4:38 PM

A defiant Donald Trump took the stand in his civil fraud trial on Monday.

The former president’s testimony triggered condemnation from his political detractors and rebukes from Judge Arthur Engoron, who frequently chided Trump for not limiting his answers to the subject of prosecutors’ questions, the Washington Post reported.

The fireworks started before Trump was even sworn in for the bench trial. Entering the courthouse, Trump called Letitia James a “racist attorney general” and fell back on his usual complaint of being a victim of a political witch hunt.

For her part, James started the day by bracing herself for the attacks while saying only the numbers and facts mattered.

Once on the stand, Trump echoed his legal team’s argument that lenders and insurers were likely to do their own due diligence rather than rely on valuations by the Trump Organization.

Trump confessed that he felt his Trump Tower apartment was overvalued on financial statements, but “never really looked at it” and said that it “only takes one rich person to come buy it.” He maintained that some of his other properties, such as 40 Wall Street, were undervalued in various statements.

Trump also held the line on Mar-a-Lago, saying his Florida estate’s value should be $1 billion to $1.5 billion, despite prosecutors’ case that development restrictions agreed to by Trump, along with other factors, make it worth far less.

Throughout the morning, the judge issued multiple warnings for Trump to stop meandering and answer questions directly, at one point saying, “This is not a political rally. This is a courtroom.” Engoron even threatened to have Trump removed from the stand, which would have allowed him to make “negative inferences” about his leaving questions unanswered.

After a break in the proceedings, Trump seemed to take the warnings about tangents somewhat seriously. Still, he delivered numerous verbal taunts against Engoron and the justice system.

In the afternoon, Trump spent time defending his brand and net worth. He also confirmed that the company paid the balance of a $45 million loan on a Chicago hotel project last week. He did not face cross-examination following the afternoon testimony.

Gov. Kathy Hochul chimed in on Trump’s testimony, saying, “So far from telling the truth as he’s required to do, he’s throwing temper tantrums from the witness stand and verbally attacking judges and courtroom staff. His conduct has been a disgrace and I have full confidence that Donald Trump will be held accountable for his actions.”

Last week included testimony from Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, who largely blamed outside accountants for any issues in Trump Organization financial statements. Ivanka Trump is expected to testify this week.

In September, Engoron ruled that the Trumps fraudulently manipulated financial statements obtained by banks and insurers. If found liable in the civil trial, they face up to $250 million in fines and could be banned from doing business in New York, which may cost them control of the Trump Organization and its properties.

— Holden Walter-Warner

National