Legal experts tell Newsweek that Trump’s combative behavior on the witness stand suggests he already knows he has lost the civil fraud case.
Donald Trump took the stand in his civil fraud trial on Monday, kicking things off to a fiery start with Judge Arthur Engoron, who repeatedly cut off the former president’s testimony to admonish him for evading questions and going on political rants.
Over the first hour of testimony, Engoron stressed that he wanted to move the case along, insisting that Trump « just answer the questions, no speeches, » and even telling him at one point, « You can attack me, you can do whatever you want, but answer the question. »
Engoron had already ruled before the trial began that Trump and his co-defendants, which include his two eldest sons and The Trump Organization, were liable for « persistent and repeated » financial fraud.
The trial that is currently ongoing seeks to determine how much the Trumps will have to pay in damages and to resolve the other six claims alleged by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
