- Donald Trump became animated on the witness stand as he answered questions about the valuation of Mar-a-Lago.
- Trump cried “fraud,” falsely accusing the judge of valuing the property at $18 million.
- “I could give you a quarter of a tennis court that’s worth more than that,” Trump said.
Donald Trump erupted on the witness stand during sworn testimony at his civil fraud trial Monday, calling the judge a “fraud” for failing to acknowledge that Mar-a-Lago was worth more than $1 billion .
As the future of his business empire hangs in the balance in the trial, it’s this week’s imaginary affront – his false belief that the trial judge had “valued” his Palm Beach home and club at $18 million. dollars — which sparked Trump’s loudest complaint while testifying.
What the judge had actually done – and this was five weeks ago – was mention that a decade-old tax assessment put the value of Mar-a-Lago at $18 million. That didn’t stop Trump from calling it fraud on Monday.
“Fraud is on the ground when you decide Mar-a-Lago is worth $18 million,” Trump said. “I could offer you a quarter of a tennis court worth more than that.”
“He ruled against me without knowing anything about me,” Trump said on the stand.
Trump appeared to be referring to an earlier ruling by New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron, who is presiding over the civil trial, now in its sixth week, in a downtown Manhattan courtroom.
Engoron had noted in a summary judgment that authorities in Palm Beach, Fla., where Mar-a-Lago is located, had placed the market value of the property at between $18 million and $27.6 million. Trump and his allies seized on this part of the opinion, falsely claiming that Engoron personally valued Mar-a-Lago at $18 million.
The stakes for Trump are high. The New York attorney general’s office has accused Trump, his two eldest sons and other Trump Organization executives of falsifying property appraisals to obtain favorable loan terms and lower tax payments. Prosecutors are seeking to recover more than $250 million from the Trump Organization and to bar Trump and his adult sons from running businesses in New York, among other sanctions.
But on the witness stand Monday, Trump was obsessed with Mar-a-Lago. He insisted that his social club, which is also his primary residence, was worth between $1 billion and $1.5 billion.
Trump accused judge of ‘fraud’
Trump’s grievance-filled speech about Mar-a-Lago’s market value was in response to a yes-or-no question about whether its financial disclosure statement, a document given to banks when they apply for a loan, was correct.
Kevin Wallace, the attorney for the attorney general’s office, asked again.
Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, objected. “Asked and answered.”
“No! We didn’t answer!” Engoron shouted in response.
“Your Honor, I’m not shouting,” Habba replied.
Trump smiled at his lawyers during the exchange.
The former president and 2024 Republican front-runner became more agitated when talking about the value of Mar-a-Lago than at any other point in his testimony Monday. He crossed and uncrossed his arms and used the topic as a springboard to attack New York Attorney General Letitia James.
In court, Trump claimed his company’s financial statements were “very conservative” and that Mar-a-Lago was worth far more than the judge and James claimed.
The statements, he said, do not include the “brand equity” that makes its properties more valuable.
“It’s the opposite of fraud. It’s fraud,” Trump said, referring to James. “She said it was worth 25 million. He said it was worth 18 million. It’s worth a billion dollars – or more.”
On the first day of the trial, which Trump attended, Engoron had chastised Trump and members of the media who misrepresented his earlier ruling.
“I specifically said in the summary judgment ruling that I was not valuing the properties,” Engoron said. “Please press, stop saying I value it at $18 million. There was a tax assessment in that range.”
On Monday, Trump said the decision was “fraudulent” and that “the fraud was on the part of the court.”
He also took the opportunity to attack President Joe Biden.
“How can anyone call me a fraud when as president of the United States I have done a great job,” Trump said. “And you have to look at the current president, what he’s doing.”
“Do?” Wallace asked Trump.
“It’s done,” Trump replied.
Minutes later, Trump began attacking James’ trial again. He deplored his allegation that he inflated the value of one of his properties, 40 Wall Street.
“She doesn’t even know what 40 Wall Street is,” he said.
The building is located around the corner from the New York Attorney General’s office.
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