Donald Trump and his two oldest sons, Eric and Donald Jr., are being sued in civil court by the New York State attorney general over their roles running the Trump Organization, where they allegedly inflated assets for years. But Don Jr. did not appear too concerned during his first day of testimony on Wednesday. “I should have worn makeup,” he said, as photographers took photos of him before he was called as a witness.
In past interviews, Trump Jr. has discussed his importance within the Trump Organization, citing his “proactive” approach. But on the stand Wednesday, he had a different perspective on his many years in the business. He said that he wasn’t really involved in the financial matters pertaining to the case — the inflation of key assets 200 different times, according to New York attorney general Letitia James.
Trump Jr. was generally unclear about accounting practices at the Trump Organization. When asked by prosecutors about his familiarity with intro-level real-estate terms like GAAP — generally accepted accounting principles — he said he was clueless. “I know nothing about GAAP,” he said.
I leave it to my CPAs.” Trump also said he was not familiar with accounting standards codification, another basic principle in the business. “I have no understanding,” he said.
Trump Jr. largely tried to limit his exposure on the stand, delegating his responsibilities to others at the company. He said he “relied heavily” on accountant Donald Bender, an accountant at the tax advisory firm Mazars, which the Trump Organization relied on for years. “He handled practically everything,” Trump Jr. said. In testimony from October, Bender presented a different account, claiming that the Trump Organization often did not provide him enough information to submit accurate tax filings.
Trump Jr. also stated that he was unable to remember key details involving Allen Weisselberg, the company’s chief financial officer for decades — even though Trump Jr. confirmed that he split executive responsibilities with Eric and Weisselberg after his father left the company amid the 2016 election. He said he could not remember the sort of financial package Weisselberg received when he resigned in 2021, after being charged with tax fraud. “I have no knowledge of the specifics of how it happened,” Trump Jr. said. Weisselberg later pleaded guilty to his role in a tax fraud scheme while working at the Trump Organization and served five months in prison.
Trump Jr.’s testimony is expected to continue on Thursday, followed by an appearance from Eric. Trump himself is expected to testify on Monday.
