Ex-president Donald Trump arrived in New York City Sunday night ahead of his court date the next morning in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ $250 million civil fraud case against him and his company.
Trump was photographed walking into Trump Tower — a property he could be forced to surrender depending on the trial’s outcome — in Midtown at around 8 p.m. after campaigning for his 2024 presidential bid in Iowa earlier in the day.
“I’m going to Court tomorrow morning to fight for my name and reputation against a corrupt and racist Attorney General, Letitia James, who campaigned on “getting Trump,” and a Trump Hating Judge who is unfair, unhinged, and vicious in his PURSUIT of me,” he wrote on his social media platform Truth Social shortly before midnight.
The trial, presided over by Judge Arthur Engoron, is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. with opening statements from both sides — James’ team and lawyers for Trump, the Trump Organization and co-defendants including the former president’s sons and long-time confidants.
A supporter of former President Trump holds a a Save America flag behind NYPD barricades at Trump Tower on New York City, on Oct. 1, 2023.
Trump and his sons as well as his ex-lawyer Michael Cohen are all listed as potential witnesses in the non-jury trial.
However, the former president and his close associates aren’t expected to testify for several weeks into the trial, which is estimated to last about three months.
Still, his expected appearance in court Monday is out of the ordinary for the 45th president, who is facing several criminal and civil probes.
Former President Trump is not expected to testify for several weeks into the trial.
He did not show up in court when his company was convicted of tax fraud last year, nor did he show face during a trial earlier this year in which a jury found him liable for sexually assaulting writer E. Jean Carroll.
James has claimed Trump and his company repeatedly lied and overvalued his assets in financial statements to secure large loans and make business deals.
She accused Trump of exaggerating his wealth by as much as $3.6 billion in the latest court filing.
Trump’s place to rest his head Sunday night could also be on the chopping block. He reportedly claimed his Trump Tower penthouse, which populates three stories and features gold-plated figures, was nearly three times the size it actually is and was valued at $327 million.
No apartment in New York City has ever sold for close to that, James said.
Engoron has already ruled that Trump ran a years-long fraud scheme by lying on company documents by inflating the worth of his assets, the lawsuit’s top claim before the trial began.
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The ruling, on Tuesday, also revoked Trump’s business licenses in the Big Apple and could force Trump to surrender his NYC-based properties including the Trump Tower.
The two-time GOP candidate called the penalties “a corporate death penalty” and denied any wrongdoing. He claimed his financial statements have a disclaimer that they shouldn’t be trusted, excusing him of any potential errors.
Engoron will rule on six remaining claims in James’ lawsuit following the trial.
James’ suit is one of four separate cases Trump has been charged — across four separate states, New York, Florida, Washington DC and Georgia.
He is charged in a “hush money” case in the Big Apple, he’s charged with mishandling sensitive national security documents in Florida and he’s accused of interfering with the 2020 election result in cases in Georgia and DC.
