Trump lashes out from witness stand at judge and attorney general during fraud trial

Donald Trump's long-awaited testimony about property valuations and financial statements was punctuated by personal jabs at state Judge Arthur Engoron, who he said was biased against him. He also jibed at New York Attorney General Letitia James, whom Trump derided as a political hack.

New York : A defiant Donald Trump sparred with a New York judge and slammed the state attorney general suing him Monday, using the witness stand at his civil fraud trial to defend his riches and lash out at a case that imperils his real estate empire. The former president's barbed testimony spurred the judge to admonish, This is not a political rally.

Trump's long-awaited testimony about property valuations and financial statements was punctuated by personal jabs at state Judge Arthur Engoron, who he said was biased against him, and New York Attorney General Letitia James, whom he derided as a political hack. He proudly boasted of his real estate business I'm worth billions of dollars more than the financial statements" and disputed claims that he had deceived banks and insurers.

This is the opposite of fraud, he declared. Referring to James, a Democrat whose office brought the lawsuit, he said, The fraud is her. The testy exchanges and frequent rebukes from the judge underscored Trump's unwillingness to adapt his famously freewheeling rhetorical style to a formal courtroom setting governed by rules of evidence and legal protocol.

His presence on the stand was a vivid reminder of the legal troubles he faces as he vies to reclaim the White House in 2024. It also functioned as a campaign platform for the former president and leading Republican presidential candidate to raise anew to supporters his claims of political persecution at the hands of government lawyers and judges.

People are sick and tired of what's happening. I think it is a very sad day for America," Trump told reporters outside the courtroom after roughly three-and-a-half hours on the stand. The fraud case doesn't carry the prospect of prison as Trump's upcoming criminal cases do. But its allegations of financial impropriety cut to the very heart of the brand he spent decades crafting. Engoron has already ruled that Trump committed fraud by inflating his financial statements, putting the the ex-president's future control of Trump Tower and his other marquee properties into question.

The non-jury trial addresses other claims in the lawsuit brought by James against Trump, his company and top executives, including his eldest sons. She wants the defendants to fork over what she claims is more than USD 300 million in ill-gotten gains and to be banned from doing business in New York.

The civil trial is one of numerous legal proceedings facing Trump as he runs for a second term, including federal and state charges accusing him of crimes including illegally hoarding classified documents and scheming to overturn the 2020 presidential election. His legal and political strategies have now become completely intertwined as he hopscotches between campaign events and court hearings, a schedule that will only intensify once his criminal trials begin.

Trump has been particularly engaged in his fraud trial, aggrieved by the suggestion that he's worth less than he's claimed. I'm worth billions of dollars more than the financial statements, he said Monday on the stand, telling a state lawyer, You go around and try and demean me and try and hurt me, probably for political reasons. His testimony got off to a contentious start, with the judge turning to Trump's attorney at one point and saying: I beseech you to control him if you can. If you can't, I will.