What to know about Trump's testimony today
- Former President Donald Trump testified today in the $250 million civil fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
- Judge Arthur Engoron is presiding over the trial, which has no jury. Trump has complained about the judge and his law clerk for weeks.
- Trump's testimony today quickly went off the rails as he attacked the attorney general's office as "haters," sidestepped questions and repeatedly went off on tangents. Engoron told his lawyer to "control him" and that "this isn't a political rally."
- Trump's testimony today followed that of his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump last week. The former president's eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, is scheduled to testify Wednesday.
Trump says his testimony 'went very well,' calls case a 'scam'
Trump told reporters this afternoon that he was pleased with his testimony, adding that he thought that the case is a "scam" that "should never have been brought."
"I think it went very well," Trump said, referring to his testimony. "I think you were there and you listened, you see what a scam this is."
"This is a case that should have never been brought. It’s a case that should be dismissed immediately," he added. "The fraud was on behalf of the court. The court was the fraudster in this case."
The former president went on to highlight a recent New York Times / Siena survey that showed him ahead of President Joe Biden in several battleground states. The poll numbers were also referred to in court today by Trump's attorney.
"When you look at the numbers, the poll numbers that came out today ... people are sick and tired of what's happening," Trump said when he left the courtroom.
James says Trump 'engaged in distractions' in court today
Leaving the courtroom today, James characterized Trump's testimony as a series of "distractions" and "insults."
"Today we heard from Donald Trump," James said. "He rambled, he hurled insults. But we expected that."
James said that the "documentary evidence" shows that Trump "falsely inflated his assets to basically enrich himself and his family."
"The numbers don't lie. And Mr. Trump obviously can engage in all of these distractions and that what is what exactly what he did, what he committed on the stand today, engaging in distractions and engaging in name-calling," James said.
James said that she looks forward to hearing Ivanka Trump's testimony on Wednesday and then her team "plans on closing our case" after that.
Trump is excused from the stand
Trump is now excused from the stand and finished giving testimony.
The prosecution finished its questioning, with Trump's team then deferring from a cross-examination.
Ivanka Trump is set to take the stand Wednesday.
Trump rants about the case being a disgrace
Trump went on a rant, attacking Engoron and the trial and baselessly claiming that people are leaving New York because there are "murderers on the streets."
"It's election interference," he said of the attorney general's case against him. "We have a very hostile judge. I don’t have a jury. I wanted a jury."
The mood in court has changed
While the post-break mood in court is more relaxed, and Trump seems to be answering questions somewhat concisely, there have been some testy moments.
At one point, Trump cut the attorney general's lawyer off, telling him "no" and continuing to speak as the lawyer tried to ask a question.
At another point, when Trump continued to assert that his net worth was greater than what was on financial statements and thus the state didn't have a case, he again mentioned a disclaimer clause the company put on its financial statements, saying it "goes on forever."
“That clause isn’t the only thing that goes on forever,” AG's office lawyer Kevin Wallace replied, apparently referring to Trump's previously discursive answers to his questions.
Trump is calmer after the break
Trump appears more measured and steady in answering the attorney general lawyer's questions — in sharp contrast to his testimony before lunch, when he was fired up.
AG James mocks Trump's testimony
Letitia James, who's in attendance in court today, took to the social media platform X to deride one of Trump's claims about her on the witness stand.
Trump testified that the value of his property at 40 Wall Street "is hundreds of millions of dollars more than what she says. She doesn’t even know what 40 Wall Street is."
James laughed at the remark in court, and then posted a message with a shushing emoji that said, "Don’t tell, I can see it from my office window."
The court has returned from the lunch break
The court is back in session after a lunch break. The judge returned to the courtroom at about 2:15 p.m. ET.
Trump is now back on the stand to resume his testimony.
Sketch: Trump on the stand
A courtroom sketch artist's rendering of Trump testifying at his civil fraud trial today.
Trump's lawyer calls Engoron 'unhinged'
Alina Habba, one of Trump's attorneys, told reporters during the lunch break that Engoron is "unhinged" and had "predetermined" that Trump was guilty.
"I don't want to hear what he has to say," Habba said, quoting the judge's admonishment to Trump's lawyers this morning after Engoron asked Trump to give more succinct answers during his testimony.
"That was what rang true loud and could not have been more honest, coming from the judge who was already predetermined that my client committed fraud before we even walked into this courtroom," Habba said.
When he made the remark, Engoron had been trying to rein in Trump’s answers, telling his team that the former president was not there to talk about things outside the attorney general’s lawyer’s line of questioning.
Habba went on to say that the country is "falling apart" and there is "corruption in courtrooms where attorneys are gagged."
"You have a right to hire a lawyer who can stand up and say something when they see something wrong. But I was told to sit down today, I was yelled at," Habba said.
Habba also criticized James, saying that she was using the trial to "make a name for herself."
"[James] said this morning that the numbers don't lie and they won't lie in this case. Well, Miss James, I have a message for you: The numbers didn't lie when you ran for governor, and that's why you dropped out," Habba said.
During the break, Trump also quoted Engoron's remark without context in a post on his social media site Truth Social.
