🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Following another day in former president Donald Trump's $250 million civil fraud trial, New York Attorney General Letitia James warns Trump that "the Donald Trump show is over."
While speaking to the press outside of the courtroom on Wednesday, James addressed the former president's comments as she warned him that she will not be bullied. Although it is unclear which comments James is specifically mentioning as Trump has spoken about her negatively both online and to reporters outside a New York courtroom this week, James maintains that the comments made are baseless and are "nothing more than a political stunt."
"Trump's comments were offensive, baseless, they were void of any facts and or any evidence. What they were were comments that unfortunately fermented violence, comments that I would describe as race-baiting, comments that unfortunately appeals to the bottom of our humanity," James said.
"This case was brought simply because it was a case where individuals were engaged in patent practice of fraud and I will not sit idly by and allow anyone to subvert the law and lastly I will not be bullied, and so Mr. Trump is no longer here. The Donald Trump show is over. This was nothing more than a political stunt," James added.
Although Trump has been known for taking to his Truth Social account to often discredit allegations and accusations against him, James is determined to fight against the former president's continuous remarks.
James' statements come after Trump was issued a gag order by Judge Engoron on Tuesday stating the former president is not to comment about Engoron's court staff—after Trump attacked a clerk on Truth Social.
In a since-deleted post to Truth Social, Trump shared a photo of attorney Allison Greenfield in which she appeared with Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. The former president argued that this was grounds for the case to be dismissed and suggested, without evidence, that Greenfield and Schumer were romantically involved.
"Personal attacks on members of my court staff are unacceptable and inappropriate, and I won't tolerate it," Engoron said. "Consider this statement a gag order forbidding all parties from posting, emailing or speaking publicly about any of my staff."
While the civil fraud trial continues to mainly determine the size of the penalty, which could see Trump banned from doing business in New York, having his properties removed from his control or being forced to pay a fine totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, Lisa Rubin, an attorney and legal analyst for MSNBC suggested despite the gag order Trump will continue to be "a bully."
In a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, Rubin said, "He might now be subject to a gag order concerning judicial staff, but in his mind, this might not be a major impediment. After all, Trump might not need Truth Social when he can attempt to intimidate the full range of trial participants in person and without saying a word within the courtroom itself?
"Despite the gag order—which again, is limited only to the judge's staff—Trump is back on Truth Social this morning with a post taking aim at New York Attorney General Tish James and filled with words from a Trump legal bingo card," Rubin added.
Newsweek has reached out to legal experts for additional comment.
About the writer
Natalie Venegas is a Weekend Reporter at Newsweek based in New York. Her focus is reporting on education, social justice ... Read more