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Donald Trump Jr. has showcased his family's glamorous real estate portfolio in court so that his lawyers can line up an appeal, a former federal prosecutor has said.
Neama Rahmani told Newsweek that the Trump family will claim that the judge in their fraud trial, Arthur Engoron, had erred in ruling that they had overvalued their properties.
During a slideshow presentation of the properties at the center of the civil fraud trial, Donald Trump Jr. told a New York court on Monday that the Trump World Tower on Manhattan's east side was "a very sexy place;" the Trump National Golf Course in Florida was "one of the finest golf courses in the world;" the Trump Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida was one of the few "American castles" in existence and Manhattan's Plaza Hotel was the "crown jewel of New York."
The slideshow, titled "The Trump Story," laid out the history of the family's real estate empire going back to Don Jr.'s great-grandfather.
By having Donald Trump Jr. talk extensively about the Trump properties in the case, the Trump lawyers are talking past Engoron to the appeal court, Rahmani said.
"It won't change Judge Engoron's mind, but the defense is creating a record for appeal," he added.
Newsweek sought email comment on Tuesday from an attorney for Donald Trump Jr.
The trial stems from a $250 million lawsuit filed in 2022 by New York Attorney General Letitia James, alleging that Donald Trump Sr. and top executives at his family company, 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, frontrunner in the polls for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, testified on November 6 and has denied any wrongdoing and has called the trial politically motivated.
Eric and Donald Trump Jr., senior executives of The Trump Organization, are also accused of assisting the former president and have testified in the trial stating they barely had any involvement with the annual financial statements of the company, which they had signed. Instead, they said they relied on the accounting firm they had hired.
In September, Engoron ruled that Donald Trump, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., committed fraud in their property evaluations.
The court will decide on six other accusations, including falsifying business records, insurance fraud, and conspiracy claims. Engoron himself will rule on the charges, as Trump's legal team did not opt for a jury trial.
Rahmani, president of the West Coast Trial Lawyers law firm, said that Donald Trump Jr. talked extensively about why the properties are worth so much, something that his father was doing when he was compelled to give evidence on November 6.
"Donald Trump started to explain the values, and Don Jr. continued with the same themes of the Trump brand and trophy properties," Rahmani said.
He said that Don Jr.'s testimony "was a necessary contrast to his examination by the State a couple weeks ago. His previous testimony blaming the family accountants may have distanced himself from the fraud, but it didn't justify the inflated valuations submitted to the banks."
Eric Trump and Donald Trump Sr. are also expected to testify for the defense and a date for their testimony has not yet been determined.
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About the writer
Sean O'Driscoll is a Newsweek Senior Crime and Courts Reporter based in Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. law. ... Read more