Trump looks angry as he's seen taking stand in fraud trial in historic moment
Former President Donald Trump appeared angry as he was pictured in court where he is set to take to the witness stand in the $250 million fraud trial against him in New York. It was a historic moment amid the whirlwind of pending legal actions against the Republican 2024 presidential forerunner.
The images that captured the businessman's grim demeanour were taken as he sat next to a judge he formerly described as "wacko" and a clerk he has called biased on multiple occasions amid the suit, which is not one of the four historic federal indictments he also faces. However, he has looped the case in with them, describing it as a "witch hunt" just like the others.
Some fellow Trump Organization members find themselves in the midst of the trial as well as his two adult sons, Eric and Donald Trump, Jr. They all stand accused of inflating Trump's assets and altering his financial statements so that he could use his exaggerated net worth to obtain better loans and deals from banks and other fiscal organisations.
READ MORE: Don Jr and Eric Trump shirk responsibility for alleged financial lies tied to fraud case
Trump has called the fraud trial a witch hunt propagated by his political opponents, especially Joe Biden (AP)As the former president was called to the stand, his face contorted into a look of confusion tainted with anger — it was evident how ridiculous he felt Monday's proceedings were. The emotions increased as he started to give testimony and launched into a forbidden, off-topic political tirade about how he would enact a scheme if one like the one he stands accused of were to have taken place. He interrupted New York Deputy Attorney General Kevin Wallace, who had asked the question.
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Judge Arthur F. Engoron then turned to Wallace and demanded whether or not he had asked Trump to provide an "essay on brand value," and the judge then turned to Trump's own attorney Christopher Kise and asked him to "control [his] client." He added: "This is not a political rally." Engoron also asked Kise to confer with his client.
But Kise disagreed with Engoron and said it was only right to give the "former and future chief executive of the United States a turn to speak — and about whatever he desired.
Trump previously called New York Attorney General Letitia James 'racist' (JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)That bombastic interaction followed a string of lengthy responses to questions by the former president, which irked Engoron. The questioning began with demands about Trump's organisation and one posed by Wallace about why his son, Trump, Jr., was made a trustee of the company.
Trump replied that his son is a "good boy, or man, and an honourable one" before launching into a tirade about the "political warfare" he had spoken about with reporters before entering the courtroom — detailing the charges against him from his four indictments and the string of other accusations he faces, calling them all "Trump haters" and "Democrats."
Yet he did testify that he "maybe, on occasion, suggest[ed] decisions" about his financial statements before they were finished. He then launched into yet another tirade about the process, rules and regulations surrounding such documents and how the banks assess them, which prompted Engoron to say: "Some of your answers have not been in response to the question... Mr Wallace is being very patient. I would like to move this along... Please just answer the questions no speeches."
Trump launched into several long tirades, prompting Judge Engoron to cut him off and admonish him for the rants (AP)Trump continued nonetheless, putting on an air of confidence in his real estate knowledge and flaunting his extensive experience as he explained his extensive knowledge of the real estate industry. Of the Mar-a-Lago property, where dozens of boxes filled with classified documents were recovered, leading to one of his historic indictments earlier this year, he said he felt it was undervalued and underestimated, but he denied inflating its value, telling the court that he "just left it be."
But when it came to questions about basic information related to his company and other background, he reportedly answered in monosyllables, providing as little information as he could, reporters inside the courtroom have said.
The Republican arrived in court at 9:30am local time just after posting inflammatory statements to his Truth Social account in which he lashed out against Engoron and James, calling the latter racist. She in turn said before Monday's proceedings that she was "certain" Trump would name-call and resort to "race-baiting" tactics.
He said the trial was "very unfair" and was a form of "election interference" and "ridiculous," especially amid the war in Gaza and other problems that are "eating our country alive." He called it "political warfare" and said it was a tactic often seen in "third world countries."
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