Judge Engoron Admits He Will Miss Trump

Amid final testimony in Donald Trump's civil fraud trial, Judge Arthur Engoron, who is overseeing the case, admits on Wednesday he will "miss this trial".

Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has been civilly sued by New York Attorney General Letitia James for $250 million. In her lawsuit, James alleges that Trump, his adult sons, and top executives at The Trump Organization conspired to increase his net worth by billions of dollars on financial statements provided to banks and insurers to make deals and secure loans. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has called the trial politically motivated. While the former president abruptly decided not to take the stand in his defense on Monday, Trump's lawyers rested his defense on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, as final testimony in the case wrapped up with Eric Lewis, an accounting professor at Cornell University, Engoron admitted he would miss the trial.

"In a strange way, I am going to miss this trial. It has been an experience," Engoron said according to ABC News reporter Peter Charalambous.

In a post to X, formerly Twitter, Charalambous noted Engoron's remarks saying, "Judge Engoron is getting sentimental on what is likely to be the last day of Donald Trump's civil fraud trial."

Newsweek has reached out to Trump via email for comment.

Lewis was put on the stand on Wednesday by James' office to rebut the testimony of an NYU accounting professor who testified earlier on Trump's behalf.

The final testimony follows the state's six weeks of testimony from about two dozen witnesses, including Trump, his eldest sons Eric and Donald Jr., daughter Ivanka, outside accountants and Trump Organization executives.

The defense then called witnesses over the course of about five weeks. They included real estate developers and brokers, a former federal financial regulator and accounting gurus.

However, during the course of the trial, Trump has also made repeated attacks on judges and court staff, often taking to Truth Social, his social media platform, to voice his stance, which caused him to be issued gag orders. The former president attacked Engoron's longtime law clerk, Alison Greenfield, on social media, which made Engoron fine him twice after the insults. More recently, Engoron's wife has also been at the center of Trump's attacks after she was accused of posting derogatory claims about the former president. She has denied these allegations.

This comes after a state appellate court judge temporarily froze two gag orders in November that Engoron imposed on Trump. However, the appellate court then lifted them until it heard a full appeal from Trump's lawyers, who wanted the gag orders removed.

Although Trump decided not to testify on Monday, during his testimony last month, he lashed out against the judge and lawyers in the case, whom he decried as "unfair." The former president also went head to head with Engoron as he told Trump's lawyers to "control him" and warned that "this isn't a political rally."

Closing arguments are scheduled for January 11, just four days before the Iowa caucuses start the presidential primary season. Engoron, who is deciding the case in place of a jury, said he hopes to have a decision by the end of January.