Letitia James' Courtroom Smile Compared to Donald Trump Jr. Goes Viral

A viral video from a New York City courtroom on Monday shows the differing facial expressions of New York Attorney General Letitia James and Donald Trump Jr. as the son of former President Donald Trump retakes the witness stand in his family's civil fraud trial.

James has sued the former president and his family, including sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, for $250 million, accusing them of frequently inflating Trump's own net worth and the value of his assets by billions of dollars from 2011 to 2021 to secure better deals and loans. The Trump family have dismissed the accusations and maintained their innocence, accusing prosecutors of being politically motivated and attempting to harm Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. Since the case is a civil matter, it will not result in any jail time.

New York Judge Arthur Engoron ruled last month that Trump, his adult sons, their businesses, and executives committed fraud, for which they will be held civilly liable to an extent to be determined throughout the rest of the trial. The court will also rule 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. The result could see the former president and his family lose some of their famous properties and be barred from doing business in New York.

The video recorded by CNN on Monday shows James smiling ahead of the proceedings in the ongoing trial, compared to a stoic look on the face of the former president's son who is testifying for the second time.

When reached by Newsweek via phone, James' office had no comment regarding her facial expressions or demeanor. Newsweek also reached out to The Trump Organization via email for comment.

During his first stint as a witness for the state, Trump Jr. claimed to have no direct involvement with the filing of such financial statements that allegedly inflated the former president's worth. However, he also testified that he did sign off on such statements, but that The Trump Organization's accountants had "more intimate understanding of the specifics of those things" than he did.

Ivanka Trump, the last member of the Trump family called to testify on the state's behalf, also said on the stand that she communicated with accountants and helped negotiate The Trump Organization's loan from Deutsche Bank to purchase the Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami—admitting in court that the valuation was a "problem."

Meanwhile, the differing facial expressions caught on camera Monday between the New York attorney general and the former president's son caught some people's attention online.

"What do you notice about AG Tish James in this video?" Mary Trump, the niece of Donald Trump, asked on X, formerly Twitter while posting the video, which has over 127,000 views as of Monday afternoon.

"I love seeing Letitia James smile first thing on Monday morning," wrote X user @Democracy1stE. "Pretty sure Junior does not though."

James was criticized by conservative users on X for her reaction, with some saying she should focus on her state's crime rate than this civil case.

"This woman is so vile," user @ImMeme0 commented. "Instead of fighting rising of crime in NYC, she is too busy seeking her 15 minutes of fame."

"As violent crime runs rampant in New York, Letitia James manages to find time to sit in on the Trump civil trial and mug for the cameras," wrote X user @WesternLensman.

Following testimony from all of the state's witnesses, the former president wrote on Thursday on Truth Social: "It's a giant SCAM, with no 'smoking gun,' No Victim (except me!), and absolutely no crime."

James laughed during remarks made by Donald Trump while he was on the stand. Notably, he said that James "doesn't even know what 40 Wall Street is," which drew a rise from the attorney general.

"He rambled, he hurled insults, but we expected that," James said outside the courtroom post-testimony. "At the end of the day, the documentary evidence demonstrated that in fact he falsely inflated his assets to basically enrich himself and his family. He continued to consistently engage in fraud. I will not be bullied. I will not be harassed."

On Sunday, Trump attorney Alina Habba told Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures host Maria Bartiromo that James is just using this case as a means of boosting her own political profile.

"Mrs. James wanted a headline, she campaigned on this, remember, before she was even the attorney general," she said. "That's how she got the attorney general role. She campaigned on Trump, so she had to follow through, and she should really dismiss this case, it's making her look bad, frankly, and the city needs her attention elsewhere."