Trump faces assets seizure as $464m bond deadline looms in New York

Donald Trump is running out of time to post a bond to cover a $464m (£367m) civil fraud ruling – or face the risk of New York state beginning to seize some of his assets.

The former US president, who is seeking to regain the White House later this year, must either pay the money out of his own pocket or post a bond by Monday’s deadline while he appeals against Justice Arthur Engoron’s February judgment.

The judge agreed with prosecutors that Mr Trump deceived banks and insurers for years by inflating his wealth on financial statements used to secure loans and make deals, and said he had to pay a multi-million dollar bond if he wanted to appeal.

Mr Trump has denied wrongdoing in the case and all the cases against him.

The ex-president personally owes $454m (£359m), but the figure goes up when taking into account interest and money owed by his sons, Eric and Donald Jr, and the Trump Organization.

Here, we take a look at Mr Trump’s assets and income – and what may happen if he fails to pay up in time.

If he misses the deadline, what happens?

The state of New York could start seizing the tycoon’s assets – but it may be over a year before properties such as Trump Tower and other real estate holdings are on the chopping block.

Some experts believe seizing his bank accounts will be easier and relatively quick compared to dealing with his properties.

A US marshal can simply be asked to take a court order to a bank holding Trump’s money.

The process involving properties is more complicated, legal experts say.

Alan Sash, a New York lawyer, said: “Seizing a property is a poor way to describe it, because it gives the impression that someone goes and grabs it.

“It’s not like that at all. It’s slow and methodical.”

However, the New York attorney general will be able to go after any properties Trump owns in order to satisfy the judgment – although the process is likely to be more complex for properties outside of New York.

How much is Trump worth?

A breakdown of his net worth can be achieved based on court filings and federal financial disclosures.

In some cases, the values reported by Trump were disputed in the New York civil case, which the real estate billionaire plans to appeal against.

In a social media post last Friday, Trump said he has “almost five hundred million dollars in cash”.

In an April 2023 deposition with New York attorney general Letitia James, he said he had “substantially in excess of 400 million in cash”.

A financial statement for 30 June 2021 submitted to the court by Trump showed he had $293.8m (£232.5m) worth of cash and cash equivalents at the time.

In 2022, Trump reported at least $537m (£425m) in revenues related to golf courses and hotels.

He also made money from licensing fees and royalties, and from other interests including speaking engagements and in distributions from his stake in buildings.

His Truth Social platform is said to be worth about $6bn (£4.75bn).

The company is set to begin trading on the Nasdaq stock market – potentially netting the former US president $3bn (£2.37bn).

However, even if the deal gets completed, Trump will not be allowed to sell any of his shares in the combined company for six months or borrow against them, based on terms he previously agreed.

What properties does he own?

Trump owns hotels, office buildings, residential buildings, golf courses and estates.

A June 2021 financial statement listed several of his most valuable properties such as 40 Wall Street, an office building in New York, Trump Tower in Manhattan, and the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

The financial statement said his properties were worth $4.3bn (£3.4bn) at the time.

In the New York case, the judge ruled Trump had overstated the value of some of the properties – and called the estimated value of Mar-a-Lago “fraudulent” and “possibly a billion dollars or more” over its market value.

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The case is not the only one draining Trump’s finances.

This month, he posted a $91.6m (£72.5m) bond to cover an $83.3m (£65.9m) defamation verdict for writer E Jean Carroll while he appeals.

She sued him after Trump called her a liar for accusing him of raping her decades ago. He has denied wrongdoing.