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Donald Trump said he intends to attend at least the opening day of his civil fraud trial in relation to New York Attorney General Letitia James' $250 million lawsuit, a move the former president may regret.
Trump said he will be at the Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday to hear opening statements as part of the trial in which the former president, his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr, and the family real estate company, The Trump Organization, are accused of fraudulently inflating the value of properties by billions of dollars in order to obtain financial perks.
The main scope of the allegations has already been resolved in a decision by Judge Arthur Engoron, who ruled on September 26 that the former president had made false and misleading financial statements for years while valuing properties such as his Mar-a-Lago resort and his triplex apartment at Trump Tower in Manhattan.
The main crux of the civil trial will now look at other allegations from James' lawsuit related to falsification of business records, issuing false financial statements, insurance fraud and conspiracy, as well as the size of the penalty.
The former president, his two children, as well as several current and former executives and employees at The Trump Organization, are all listed as potential witnesses for both James' office and the defense, although they are not obliged to appear at the civil proceedings if called upon.
Trump's personal attorney Alina Habba previously told The New York Post "if called, [Trump] will testify."
In a Sunday night post on Truth Social, Trump said he will be at the court on Monday to "fight for my name and reputation."
There is a possibility that Trump, known for his strong public statements, may damage his own defense while testifying under oath.
During his April deposition as part of the inquiry, Trump claimed that he would be able to call on people who could value his Mar-a-Lago property at as much as $1.5 billion.
Trump is accused of inflating the value of his resort in Florida from 2011 to 2021 at $347 million to $739 million based on the premise that it was unrestricted property and could be developed for residential use. During this same period, the resort was assessed by Palm Beach County as having a market value based on its restricted use as a social club as ranging between $18 million and $27.6 million.
Elsewhere during his April deposition, Trump also said that Eric Trump had become "much more involved" in the financial side of The Trump Organization over the past few years, a statement his former lawyer Michael Cohen said amounted to the former president "throwing his own kids under the bus" to escape liability.
As noted by former Deputy Assistant Attorney General Harry Litman, Trump's appearance in front of Engoron at the civil trial may also backfire on the former president, who has frequently attacked the judge and the case he is overseeing on social media.
"Scene from next Monday, beginning of fraud trial, which Trump says he will attend: 'Hello Justice Engoron, I know that I called you a 'Deranged, Trump Hating Judge, who RAILROADED this FAKE CASE through a NYS Court at a speed never before seen,' but I was just joking,'" Litman posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The civil proceedings are a bench trial, meaning that there will be no jury and Engoron will rule on the outcome of proceedings.
Trump's legal team has been contacted for comment via email.
The civil fraud trial was originally expected to run until at least mid-December, although it may now be significantly shorter after Engoron ruled that Trump had committed fraud in his financial statements.
It is unclear how many days Trump will be present at the court for the proceedings. Trump is running for president and was in Iowa on Sunday as part of his 2024 campaign.
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, and Florida ... Read more