Donald Trump faces the risk of losing one of his prized possessions, with the New York civil fraud case hearing playing out to his disadvantage, his niece and psychologist Mary Trump said Thursday.
What Happened: Justice Arthur Engoron, who is judging the case, on Thursday, did something which no one in America has ever been able to do, said Mary Trump in a substack post.
While Donald Trump’s attorney Christopher Kise, during his closing argument, sought Engoron’s permission for the ex-president to speak, the judge asked whether he would comment on the facts and the law, she noted. Donald Trump began to talk before answering the question, she added.
“With $320 million on the line, including Mar-a-Lago itself, Donald went on to deliver an unhinged tirade that was sure to horrify his attorneys, and ensure Engoron will apply the full amount of devastating damages to his case,” Mary Trump said.
Donald Trump said the case was a “political witch hunt” and went on to suggest he should, in fact, receive damages for what he and the company has gone through, his niece noted.
”I am an innocent man…I have been politically persecuted…What has happened here is a fraud on ME…they want to make sure I don't run again,” Trump reportedly said.
Without stopping at it, the former president “completely ruined his entire case” by attacking Engoron, said Mary Trump.
To Engoron, Donald Trump said, “You have your own agenda..You can't listen for more than one minute!" The judge then asked his lawyer to control his client, Mary Trump noted. The presidential candidate refused to be cowed down and continued to attack New York Attorney General Letitia James and Engoron again and again before the judge shut him down, she said, adding that her uncle then had no other go but to sit down “futily fuming.”
Why It’s Important: Mary Trump, a psychologist, said this behavior of her uncle is because he has never been disciplined effectively as a kid. “His style of ‘negotiating’ was to ignore the terms of any deal and throw a temper tantrum or threaten the other side until he got his way,” she said.
“He believes he will not suffer for ignoring the rules – which he no longer even pretends to play by.”
Mary Trump said her uncle will likely reap the consequences of his actions. “Despite the fact he just destroyed any hope for leniency, Donald said exactly what was on his mind. Now, he will pay for it,” she said.
“With the exception of his delusional base, Donald’s repetitive and immature – and dangerous – ramblings are not playing well with the majority of the American people,” the psychologist said.
“Donald could lose Mar-a-Lago over this. He'll likely lose Trump Tower. He will almost certainly lose hundreds of millions of dollars.”
The NY fraud case brought about by James is about Donald Trump and his Trump Organization inflating the values of his assets and real estate to secure loans from financial institutions. This also included Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
James, who initially sought $250 million in damages when she filed the case in September 2022, upped the stakes to $370 million earlier this month. She has urged for debarring Donald Trump from doing business in New York.
In a pre-trial ruling in September, Engoron said Donald Trump consistently overvalued Mar-a-Lago, inflating its value on one financial statement by as much as 2,300%, AP reported.
Apart from the NY civil case, Donald Trump is facing criminal charges for election subversion and mishandling of classified documents, among other things. These lawsuits threaten his prospects for getting reelected.
Photo via Wikimedia Commons
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