Trump clashes repeatedly with judge during trial

As he testified in a civil fraud lawsuit in New York, Donald Trump argued with a judge several times and defended his family’s business.

During nearly four hours on the witness stand, the former president rejected charges that he defrauded banks and expressed his dissatisfaction with the proceedings.

The judge has already found that the Trump Organization committed fraud, and the sanctions will be determined during this trial.

Prosecutors are seeking a $250 million (£202 million) fine as well as severe company limitations.

Mr Trump, 77, was probed about the worth of different assets, including his Florida residence Mar-a-Lago, Trump Tower in New York, and his golf property in Scotland, during his highly awaited appearance at a Manhattan federal courthouse on Monday.

In his testimony, Mr Trump, who is the current frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, stood by the valuations as prosecutors quizzed him on how they were reached and the financial statements at the centre of the trial.

“I’m worth billions of dollars more than the financial statements,” Mr Trump said, before describing the property valuations as “very conservative.

The former president’s time on the stand was marked by heated exchanges and lengthy, sometimes meandering, responses. These prompted several rebukes from Judge Arthur Engoron who appeared exasperated at times.

“Please just answer the questions, no speeches,” the judge said.

Judge Engoron will ultimately decide the outcome of the trial and, as well as a multi-million dollar fine, could strip the defendants of the ability to do business in New York.

“I’m sure the judge will rule against me because he always rules against me,” Mr Trump said at one point in court.

Judge Engoron fired back: “You can attack me in whichever way you want, but please answer the questions.” He later referred to Mr Trump as a “broken record”.

Like his two sons in their testimony last week, the former president said it was the Trump Organization accountants who bore responsibility for the financial reports.

The judge has already fined Mr Trump $15,000 for comments made outside of court last month.

Mr Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, is expected to give evidence on Wednesday.

The civil case in New York is one of several legal battles in which Mr Trump is embroiled.

He also faces four criminal indictments two relating to his alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, one on his handling of classified documents and another alleging false accounting involving hush money.