Donald Trump Trial: Ex-POTUS Facing $250 Million Fine, New York Ban Amid Fraud Controversy

Donald Trump finally appeared for his New York fraud trial, where he did most of his defending outside the courtroom in an attempt to win in the court of public opinion instead of the actual trial.

Soon after the trial, Trump spoke at a press conference and immediately attacked Attorney General Letitia James and Judge Arthur Engoron. James is the one prosecuting him, his two adult sons, Eric and Don Jr., and the Trump Organization. Meanwhile, Judge Engoron summarily judged that Trump and his sons were already guilty of fraud due to the evidence presented by James.

James is seeking at least $250 million in fines for Trump committing fraud in New York, as well as the dismissal of his business license. Because Judge Engoron has already issued his judgment, the trial will only determine how much Trump would pay. The judge has already suspended the business licenses of the Trumps and the Trump Organization.

The former president told reporters waiting outside the courthouse that the case was a "scam," a "sham," and a political vendetta by James. The president then went to his usual name-calling and called the AG "a corrupt person, a terrible person. Driving people out of New York."

As for Judge Engoron, Trump suggested that he should be disbarred. "This is a judge that should be out of office."

Despite acting defiantly in front of the cameras, Trump also used the moment to fundraise for his campaign as he not only lost his business in New York but could also get a massive potential fine in the state. According to Reuters, Trump's fundraising claimed that the former president was only "defending his family and reputation from New York Democrats," calling them "corrupt tyrants."

Things Get Heated During the First Day of the Donald Trump Fraud Trial in New York

When the judge asked Clifford Robert, attorney for Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, at what point is something "material," the elder Trump's lead attorney, Chis Kise, objected, and things got testy. "I don't think you are an estimate on government accounting and they will tell you what is material and what is not," he told the judge.

According to NBC News, this led to an argument between Kise and the judge, with Kise accusing AG James of opening the door to issues regarding valuation, which he stated was "a serious accusation to make against one of the most successful employers in this state."

Donald Trump's Claims Fact-Checked

As expected of Trump's public appearances, the former president showed he has a penchant for saying things that are not true, so the BBC did a fact-check on what he said.

"No bank was affected. No bank was hurt," he said before the trial began. However, the BBC pointed out that the attorney general did not have to show that there were victims and only had to show that Trump committed fraud.

As for Trump's claim that he was denied a jury, Judge Engoron himself pointed out that "nobody asked" for a jury trial. Trump also claimed that the DOJ was behind the trial, but the BBC pointed out that there is no evidence of this or if the DOJ was coordinating with either James or Engoron. The news organization also pointed out that the Justice Department has no jurisdiction here.

Trump also claimed that the judge undervalued his properties. However, it was not the judge who placed the value on them but the official assessors. A Palm Beach County assessor was the one who valued Mar-a-Lago to be between $18 million-$27.6 million in value, not Judge Engoron as Trump claimed. The former president continues to claim it is probably worth 50 to 100 times more.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Donald Trump in court today for the start of his fraud trial in New York - CBC News