Donald Trump Jr. returned to the witness stand on Monday in the New York State civil financial-fraud case against his father as well as his brother Eric. The eldest Trump son was the defense’s first witness after the prosecution rested its case last week after the cross-examination of his sister Ivanka. Below, what went on in the courtroom as it happened.
Trump spoke to the media outside of the courthouse, echoing his testimony from earlier in the month that he mainly relied on the Trump Organization’s accountants and that he wasn’t in charge of the company’s financial statements.
Colleen Faherty briefly cross-examined Trump, homing in on details about specific Trump properties beyond his glowing testimony. The prosecutor raised the fact that 40 Wall Street’s occupancy rate is actually lower than Trump testified. According to the Daily Beast, 77 percent of the building is occupied compared to his stated 98 percent. She noted that the Trump Hotel in Waikiki, Hawaii, is also moving away from its Trump branding to become a Hilton Hotel.
After fielding those lines of questioning, Trump left the witness stand and exited the courtroom. The court is now slated to hear from Sheri Dillon, a former lawyer for Donald Trump Sr.
Trump’s lawyer Clifford Robert has wrapped up the direct examination of his client. Faherty will take up the cross-examination for the prosecution.
Trump was asked what he sees as the future for the Trump Organization and seemed to point not to the result of this trial but the 2024 election.
“I guess a lot of that depends on what happens next November,” he said, according to CNN. “We’ll probably be put on hold for a little while and sued into oblivion for the foreseeable future.”
Testimony turned to the former Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., which first opened in 2016 in the former location of the Old Post Office on Pennsylvania Avenue, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Trump claimed that the building was at risk of being torn down before his father’s involvement.
“My father and Ivanka, very involved in it from the beginning, saw this incredible jewel in it,” he said.
In 2022, for $375 million, the Trump family sold the D.C. hotel to a Miami investor group, which now operates the building as a Waldorf Astoria location.
Donald Trump Jr. has returned to the stand following a scheduled lunch break.
Testimony for Donald Trump Jr. has paused temporarily for a lunch break. Proceedings are expected to reconvene at 2:15 p.m.
Robert, Trump’s attorney, wanted to enter a document concerning a 2022 appraisal of the Trump National Doral golf club in Florida into the record to the objection of the prosecution.
Judge Engoron called the document “irrelevant” and once referred to it as “stupid” but allowed it to be used under limited circumstances.
After a short break, Trump returned to the stand and the overview of the family properties has moved to the company’s many golf courses. One course, located in Palm Beach, was dubbed by Trump to be “one of the finest golf courses anywhere in the world,” per the New York Times.
The change in subject prompted Trump to note his lack of an affinity for the sport as compared to Trump senior’s known love of golf.
“I’m, like, the nongolfer in the family, which has relegated me to the children’s table in perpetuity,” he said.
At one point, Trump seemed to allude to a valuation made by a Palm Beach County tax appraiser that once put the value of Mar-a-Lago between a range of $18 million to $37 million.
Referring to photos of the estate’s famed atrium, he said, “You couldn’t build that atrium for $18 million today.”
The overview of the Trump family history eventually moved on to the many properties procured by the clan over the years. Trump’s testimony was, at times, reminiscent of his father’s and his sister’s with lavish descriptions of the properties’ appearance and grandeur.
On the subject of Mar-a-Lago, Trump described the Florida estate as an “American castle,” adding, “It’s one of the finest estates anywhere in the world.”
He also declared the Trump Seven Springs estate in Westchester County to be “spectacular” and praised his father’s eye for real estate.
“He’s an artist with real estate. He sees the things that other people don’t,” he said.
The attorney general’s legal team objected again to the defense’s ongoing recounting of the Trump family’s history. But Judge Engoron cited the fact that the prosecution took six weeks to present their case. Trump then quipped, “Your Honor, I promise I’ll keep it under six weeks.”
In a dry tone, Engoron said, “Objection is overruled. Let him go ahead and talk about how great the Trump Organization is.”
The defense began to show a presentation entitled “The Trump Story,” prompting objections from Attorney General Letitia James’s legal team. However, Judge Engoron ruled that Trump can testify to the information in the slideshow but that it cannot be entered as evidence.
Trump began to relay the history of his family, going as far back as his great-grandfather, who he said built hotels in the Yukon during the Gold Rush. The presentation featured many pictures of his grandfather Fred Trump and his own father during the rise of his real-estate empire.
Although Don Jr.’s tone in court is so far more agreeable than his father’s when he took the stand, the eldest son jokingly made it known that he was far from happy. During a brief pause to allow the court reporter to catch up with Trump’s rapid-fire delivery, Engoron said, “Welcome back.”
In response, Trump laughed and said, “I’d say it’s good to be here, your Honor. But I have a feeling the attorney general would sue me for perjury.”
Trump detailed his work history, telling the court that he worked as a bartender after college and joined the Trump Organization after 9/11. Although he and his siblings eventually held the title of executive vice-president at the company, Trump described the Trump Organization as more of a “meritocracy.” He reportedly also said that the multinational and multimillion-dollar organization was ran like “a mom-and-pop.”
Trump said that after his father became president in 2017, he and his brother Eric became “asset managers” as they decided to move away from making future real-estate deals in light of the elder Trump’s new role.
“In retrospect, that was probably a mistake,” he said, per CNN.
With their father in the White House and their sister Ivanka joining him in D.C., Trump said Eric took on more of the daily duties of the company while he described his role as more “big picture.”
Don Jr.’s earlier arrival at the courthouse was met with jeers from protesters gathered outside.
Donald Trump Jr. has officially taken the stand on Monday morning as the first witness for the defense, telling Judge Arthur Engoron, “You thought you were rid of me, your Honor.” He is being questioned by his attorney Clifford Robert.
