Donald Trump Jr. Behavior in Court Was Wildly Different From His Father's

Donald Trump Jr. testified on Wednesday in the ongoing $250 million civil fraud trial of his father and the Trump Organization, who are accused of having given misleading valuations for property they own to secure more favorable bank loans and tax arrangements.

Commentators noted Trump Jr.'s relaxed demeanor, with the business heir smiling and cracking jokes during proceedings. This stood in sharp contrast to Donald Trump himself, who looked furious and stormed out of the courtroom on October 25 after presiding Judge Arthur Engoron made a decision he disliked.

In September, Engoron ruled Trump, his adult sons and the Trump Organization had committed fraud. Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, branding the case against him a "witch hunt." Engoron is currently deliberating on six other accusations, including falsifying business records and insurance fraud. As the case is civil, there is no prospect of Trump, or anyone else involved, being sentenced to prison.

During Trump Jr.'s testimony he denied any knowledge of accounting fraud within the Trump Organization, commenting: "That's what CPAs [certified public accountants] are for."

Asked whether his father was still a trustee of the Trump Organization, giving him responsibility for its financial statements, Trump Jr. replied: "I don't recall."

Video from the courtroom showed Trump Jr. appearing relaxed, smiling at points and even making jokes. At one point, whilst being photographed, he joked: "I should have worn makeup."

In a report, the BBC said: "The eldest son of the former president appeared confident and relaxed on the witness stand. He smiled during proceedings, even making the occasional joke and drawing laughter from the courtroom."

Trump Jr.'s demeanor on Wednesday contrasted sharply with that of his father one week earlier, when he stormed out of the courtroom during testimony from his former lawyer, turned arch critic, Michael Cohen.

After Cohen said he'd been directly instructed by Trump to inflate his assets the former president's legal team argued their case had been proved and asked the judge for a directive verdict which was denied by Engoron.

Describing what happened next on X, formerly Twitter, The Messenger senior legal correspondent Adam Klasfeld said: "At that point, Trump stood and left the courtroom, mumbling: "Unbelievable. Unbelievable." He was followed by Secret Service and his son Eric.

After leaving the courtroom, Trump insisted to reporters: "The witness just admitted that we won the trial and the judge should end this trial immediately."

He later repeated this argument and took aim at the judge on his Truth Social website, commenting: "This Fake Case should be dismissed.

"Additionally, however, the Financial Statements Values are Conservative (LOW!), Mar-a-Lago is worth MUCH MORE than $18,000,000, there is a 100% Disclaimer Clause on the 1st page of the Statements, the Banks and Insurance Companies were paid in full, no defaults, they all made money, and there is no Victim (except me!). Leave my children alone, Engoron. You are a disgrace to the legal profession."

Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump are also due to testify in the case, the latter after her legal team failed to overturn a subpoena requiring her to appear.

During a discussion with journalist Molly Jong-Fast, Mary Trump, the former president's estranged niece, predicted Ivanka will "tell the truth and throw him [Trump] under the bus."

Newsweek has contacted Donald Trump for comment via the press inquiry form on his official website.