«He has a lot to say that has nothing to do with the case or the questions.»
The judge presiding over the civil fraud trial of Donald Trump repeatedly admonished him to keep his answers concise Monday, reminding him that “this is not a political rally” as the former president and leading Republican presidential candidate testified in a lawsuit accusing him of dramatically inflating his net worth.
“We don’t have time to waste. We have one day to do this,” an exasperated Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engeron said. At another point, turning to Trump’s attorney, the judge said, “I beseech you to control him if you can. If you can’t, I will.”
The exchanges underscored Trump’s unwillingness to adapt his famously freewheeling rhetorical style to a formal courtroom setting, where clipped and cautious answers from witnesses are the norm. But while his presence on the stand was a vivid reminder of the legal woes he faces as he vies to reclaim the White House in 2024, it also functioned as a campaign platform to raise anew his claims of political persecution at the hands of government lawyers and judges.
“I think this is a political witch hunt and she should be ashamed of herself,” Trump said, referring to New York state Attorney General Letitia James, whose office brought the case. “This is the opposite of fraud. The fraud is her.”
James, who was in the courtroom, stared straight ahead at Trump as he spoke. Outside court, she said, “At the end of the day the only thing that matters are the facts and the numbers, and numbers, my friends, don’t lie.”
The civil trial is one of numerous legal proceedings Trump is confronting, including federal and state charges accusing him of crimes including illegally hoarding classified documents and scheming to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Yet even though the fraud case doesn’t carry the prospect of prison like the criminal prosecutions do, its allegations of financial improprieties cut to the heart of the brand he spent decades crafting in the real estate industry. Trump took the suggestion that he is worth worth less than he’s claimed as a personal insult.
“I’m worth billions of dollars more than the financial statements,” he said at one point, telling a state lawyer, “You go around and try and demean me and try and hurt me, probably for political reasons.
