Trump arrives at New York court to take the stand in fraud trial

Donald Trump testifies in New York fraud trial: Judge tells lawyers to CONTROL the former president as he takes the stand and sparks fly

Tensions quickly flared as Trump took the stand in the $250million fraud trial
Judge Arthur Engoron told his legal team to get the ex-president under control
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Donald Trump was warned to control himself on the stand as he slammed prosecutors and Democrats as ‘haters’ and claimed the judge always rules ‘against’ him in fiery testimony in his $250million New York fraud trial.

Judge Arthur Engoron admonished the former president multiple times for not answering questions from prosecutor Kevin Wallace as tensions flared almost immediately after he was sworn in as a witness on Monday morning.

Engoran also scolded the 77-year-old former president for an ‘irrelevant’ answer when he said one of his Scottish golf courses ‘may be the greatest in the world’ and said three times that Aberdeen was ‘the oil capital of Europe’.

The 77-year-old is accused of inflating his assets and property values by billions in a lawsuit that could sink his business empire in the Big Apple.

The opening hour of his testimony was marked by constant confrontations between the judge, Trump and his legal counsel about the former president’s lengthy answers to questions about his financial statements.

‘You can attack me all you want, but just answer the question,’ Judge Engoran said after Trump railed against the ‘crazy’ trial.

The judge, who Trump has called a ‘wacko’, then said ‘this is not a political rally’ and told the defendant’s legal team to ‘have a talk with him’ to stop his outbursts.

Addressing one of Trump’s lawyers he said: ‘I beseech you to control him if you can. If you can’t I will. I will excuse him and I will draw every negative inference that I can. Do you understand?’

Judge Engoron also told one of Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba to ‘sit down’ when she insisted the court should listen to his long answers.

Donald Trump has arrived at New York’s State Supreme Court to give blockbuster testimony in the $ 250 million fraud lawsuit that could sink his business empire in the Big Apple

The former president sits alongside his lawyers Christopher Kise (left) and Alina Habba (right). He was called as witness straight away and was sworn in after slamming the ‘political warfare’ against him that only takes place ‘in banana republics’

Trump does a zipped lips motion with his hands as he left the courtroom after a very tense first part of his testimony. He was warned not to talk about the case during the break

‘No, I’m not here to hear what he has to say. I’m here to hear him answer questions,’ the judge said.

Trump did flash a grin when Chris Kise, one of his lawyer’s, called him the future president of the United States in reference to a New York Times poll that has him leading Joe Biden in five swing states.

‘This is a very unfair trial, very, very, and I hope the public is watching’ Trump muttered during one of the confrontations.

At one point sparks started to fly as Trump lashed out at Judge Engoron for ‘always ruling against me’. He added that attorneys had been ‘coming at me from 15 different sides, all Democrats, all Trump-haters’

The confrontation began as Trump was responding to questions about his historical financial statements. During one answer, the former president triggered a snigger from the press gallery as he branded the current proceedings a ‘crazy trial’.

He then distanced himself from the financial statements in 2017 that are at the heart of the case, claiming he didn’t know about them and the banks didn’t care.

Before entering the court, Trump said he had been put in a ‘very unfair situation’ in the trial and discussed the New York Times poll.

He also insisted Mar-a-Lago is worth ’50 to 100 times’ the $18million value prosecutors have determined, and claimed he is being targeted by people who ‘hate this country’.

Trump is accused of dramatically inflating his net worth and the value of his properties by billions to save millions on bank loans and insurance.

After entering the packed courtroom, New York state lawyer Wallace said: ‘The people call Donald J. Trump,’

He walked across the front of the judge’s bench towards the witness stand. Then he was asked to ‘solemnly swear and affirm’ to tell the truth during the testimony and responded: ‘I do.’

Trump then confirmed his name and said he lives in Florida before Wallace’s questioning began.

In what has become a staple of his appearance in the New York courtroom, Trump addressed the press before walking inside.

‘So while Israel is being attacked, while Ukraine is being attacked, while inflation is eating our country alive, I’m down here,’ he said.

Trump was warned to control himself on the stand as he slammed prosecutors and Democrats as ‘haters’ and claimed the judge always rules ‘against’ him

‘These are all political opponent attacks ads by the Biden administration, their poll numbers are terrible.

‘The New York Times came back with a poll that I’m leading all over the place, but it’s a very unfair situation.’

Earlier on Monday he said on Truth Social that the case is a way for President Joe Biden to ‘cheat’ in the 2024 presidential election – and took jabs at both Engoron and James for ‘election interference.’

James said ‘the numbers don’t lie’ when speaking about his business just moments before the court appearance began.

She persistently said she would ‘get’ Trump during her campaign to be the state’s attorney general.

‘Donald Trump repeatedly misrepresented and inflated the value of his assets,’ she said on Monday morning.

‘And before he takes the stand, I am certain that he will engage in name-calling and taunts and race-baiting and call this a witch hunt.

‘But at the end of the day, the only thing that matters are the facts and the numbers and numbers my friends don’t lie.’

Photographers file into the New York courtroom to capture Trump at the defense table ahead of his testimony

The 77-year-old said he had been put in a ‘very unfair situation’ in the trial and discussed the New York Times poll showing him beating Joe Biden in five key swing states

Trump opts for a low-key entrance into the court, walking behind a city van into the building in downtown Manhattan

He was spotted carrying a bundle of legal papers as he made his way into a back entrance

The appearance may also mark the beginning of what will likely be a defining feature of the 2024 election if Trump becomes his party’s nominee: a major candidate, on trial, using the witness stand as a campaign platform – or at least attempting to – as he eyes a return to the White House while facing multiple criminal indictments.

Trump’s appearance on Monday comes after his two eldest sons also took the stand last week.

Donald Trump Jr. testified last Wednesday and Eric Trump on Friday. Both are executive vice presidents of the Trump Organization.

Ivanka Trump, the ex-president’s eldest daughter, is slated to take the stand on Wednesday.

Trump has repeatedly blasted Judge Engoron by calling him a ‘wacko’ and a ‘Democratic operative’.

Also on his social media platform, Trump again claimed that Attorney General James is engaging in ‘ELECTION INTERFERENCE!’ along with a video montage of her railing against the ex-president.

He insists that her actions against him are politically motivated because she doesn’t want him to be president again.

Trump once took the stand – unexpectedly and briefly – after he was accused of violating a partial gag order. Trump denied violating the rules, but Judge Engoron disagreed and fined him anyway.

Anti-Trump protesters demanding he is removed from the ballot through the 14th amendment gather outside the New York court

Trump gives a thumbs up as he leaves Trump Tower for the trip to downtown Manhattan

Alina Habba, a member of his legal team, followed him into the motorcade in preparation from the testimony

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