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Former President Donald Trump appeared in Manhattan court on Monday to personally challenge accusations of fraud leveled against him by the state of New York.
Last week, a Manhattan judge handed down a partial summary judgment ruling that Trump, his adult sons Eric and Donald Jr., and several of his business associates were liable for “persistent and repeated” fraud against investors and insurers. In an astonishing move, Judge Arthur Engoron also terminated all of the New York business licenses held by the defendants, effectively signaling the dissolution of the Trump organization.
The trial — which will not be decided by a jury — will center primarily on establishing how much Trump and his co-defendants owe in damages. New York Attorney General Letitia James announced in September of last year that the state would see at least $250 million in restitution payments and a ban on Trump and his family from running a business in the state. Cameras were not allowed to record the proceedings within the courtroom, but upon both his arrival and during a break, Trump stopped to speak with gathered reporters and attack the prosecutors and Judge Engoron.
Judge Engoron “should be disbarred,” Trump told the cameras. “This is a judge that should be out of office. This is a judge that some people say could be charged criminally for what he’s doing. He’s interfering with an election, and it’s a disgrace.”
Trump also repeated his defensive claim that he had not overvalued his properties but rather that the court had undervalued his real estate holdings. “[The banks] weren’t defrauded, I’ve been defrauded with the judge that ruled that [Mar-a-Lago] is worth … $18 million when in fact it’s worth over a billion, probably a billion and a half.”
Judge Engoron did not personally rule that Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida resort, was worth $18 million. He simply cited a valuation by the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser, which the Trump Organization agreed with, placing the value of the property somewhere between $18 million and $28 million between 2011 to 2021.
On Sunday, the former President wrote on Truth Social that he would be “going to Court [Monday] to fight for my name and reputation against a corrupt and racist Attorney General, Letitia James, who campaigned on ‘getting Trump,’ and a Trump Hating Judge who is unfair, unhinged, and vicious in his PURSUIT of me.”
“THIS WHOLE CASE IS A SHAM!!! See you in Court,” he added.
In a brief statement to reporters before the in-court proceedings, James stated that her “message is simple. No matter how powerful you are, no matter how much money you think you may have, no one is above the law.”
