US: Donald Trump appeared in court to testify in a civil trial that threatens his real estate empire

His son assured that he would arrive “pumped up.” Donald Trump is expected to appear in a New York court this Monday to defend himself in a high-risk civil lawsuit involving his real estate empire. This is the first legal encounter in a long series that will derail his path to a possible return to the White House on January 20, 2025.

Since Wednesday, the Manhattan courthouse has been the scene of a Trump family parade in this non-jury civil trial that began just a month ago. After his two sons, Eric and Donald Jr., it was the former US President’s turn to testify a few days ago. The tempestuous 77-year-old billionaire is scheduled to take the oath of office at 10 a.m. (3 p.m. Paris time) before being questioned by one of New York’s deputy attorney generals, Letitia James.

After three years of investigations, the elected Democrat filed a civil lawsuit against Trump Organization employees, accusing Trump’s father and son of colossally inflating the group’s assets, a host of companies that operate skyscrapers, hotels and luxury residences or golf courses. courses around the world to get better bank loans and better insurance terms. She is seeking a $250 million fine and a business ban on the Republican billionaire and his children.

“Convincing proof

Heard twice during the investigation, Donald Trump condemned “the largest witch hunt in the history of our country” in the preamble to his first testimony on August 10, 2022, before remaining silent. At a second hearing on April 13, 2023, he denied any fraud, saying the banks “made a lot of money.”

The trial got off to a rocky start for the Trump family, with a judge ruling days before it was set to open that the New York State Attorney General’s Office had presented “compelling evidence that the defendants overvalued the assets” of the group between 2014 and 2021. from “$812 million (to) $2.2 billion” depending on the year, according to figures recorded in Donald Trump’s annual financial statements.

As a result of “repeated fraud,” he ordered the liquidation of the companies managing these assets, such as the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue in New York or the future century-old neo-Gothic skyscraper at 40 Wall Street. In other words, if the decision, the action whose stay on appeal would have been enforced, the Republican billionaire would have lost control of part of his real estate empire; he entered politics under his image as a successful builder.

Billionaire Defense

Donald Trump, who faces no prison time in the civil case, has been a regular presence at debates over the past month, using his visits to portray himself to the cameras as the victim of a legal scheme. The talking points were repeated that same evening on most media outlets popular with conservatives, such as Fox News. On the merits of the case, his lawyers deny any fraud, arguing that real estate appraisals are necessarily subjective and that the lending banks did not lose a dollar.

The trial is just one of the first legal challenges facing Donald Trump, who faces criminal charges in four other cases. Specifically, he is scheduled to stand trial in Washington federal court beginning in March 2024 for alleged illegal attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

So far, his accusations have not affected his lead over Republican rivals in public opinion polls. On Sunday, a year before the presidential election, a New York Times-Siena College poll also showed him winning over Joe Biden in five key states (Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania) won by the Democrat in 2020.