Trump mixes it up with the judge from start in civil trial testimony

Former President Donald Trump sparred with a New York judge early and often Monday as he testified in a civil trial that could threaten his real estate empire.

Judge Arthur Engoron told Mr. Trump, who is under oath, that his courtroom was “not a political rally” and to keep his answers concise as the former president tried to engage the jurist in a sparring match.

“He always rules against me,” Mr. Trump, the GOP front-runner for president, said at one point.

The judge, and not a jury, will decide whether Mr. Trump and his business committed fraud by manipulating valuations in financial statements to gain favorable terms on loans and insurance.

Mr. Trump wore a navy blue suit with a blue shirt and blue tie, a contrast to his typical white shirt and red tie. He walked slowly to the witness stand, tugging at his suit coat as he settled in for hours of questions.

The former president downplayed the significance of financial statements at the heart of the case, pointing to a disclaimer that he says amounted to telling recipients to do their own calculations.

“Banks didn’t find them very relevant, and they had a disclaimer clause — you would call it a worthless statement clause,” he said, insisting that after decades in real estate, “I probably know banks as well as anybody. … I know what they look at. They look at the deal, they look at the location.”

Mr. Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, testified last week they relied on accountants and legal advisers to produce the financial statements at the heart of the case.

Their father testified that “all I did was authorize and tell people to give whatever is necessary for the accountants to do the statements,” he said.

As for the results, “I would look at them, I would see them, and maybe on some occasions, I would have some suggestions,” Mr. Trump said.

Before the trial, Judge Engoron handed New York Attorney General Letitia James an early victory on one of her claims by finding fraud occurred.

The judge on Monday tried to lower the temperature, saying Mr. Trump is free to attack him, but he still had to answer questions from the state’s lawyer, Kevin Wallace.

“I would like things to move along a little faster. Please answer the questions, no speeches,” the judge said, adding the courtroom was not a political rally.

At other times, Judge Engoron asked defense attorney Christopher Kise to manage his client and his long-winded answers.

“Mr. Kise, can you control your client? This is not a political rally. This is a courtroom,” the judge said.

Mr. Trump’s testimony is a key test ahead of an onslaught of 2024 criminal trials that will unfold during a potential rematch with President Biden.

The former president says the civil case and multiple criminal indictments are part of a Democratic plot to thwart his 2024 presidential bid, and his answers to questions on Monday attempt to inject politics into the proceedings.

Mr. Trump is leading the GOP primary field by a wide margin in surveys, and some polls show him virtually tied with Mr. Biden in a hypothetical rematch.

The testimony served as a preview of the type of legal drama that awaits him in a series of criminal trials with potentially bigger consequences.

Though the trial is quite the spectacle, Mr. Trump is no stranger to court proceedings. He has testified in court in at least eight trials since 1986, according to an Associated Press review, and he’s been questioned under oath in more than a dozen depositions and regulatory hearings.

Mr. Trump’s campaign on Monday fundraised off his latest testimony.

“Can you believe I have to once again spend yet another day of the election cycle in the courthouse?” the message said. “We are watching the ruling party weaponize the legal system to try and destroy its leading opponent by any means possible — whether that be removing my name from the ballot, financial ruin, or even imprisonment. This is how dictatorships are born.”

• This story is based in part on wire service reports.