Donald Trump giving evidence at his civil trial in New York after branding it ‘very unfair’
Donald Trump has been warned to avoid “political” speeches and “just answer the questions” while giving evidence in his civil fraud trial, with the judge threatening to remove him from the courtroom in a series of tense exchanges with his legal team.
The former US president is accused of inflating his net worth. He denies any wrongdoing.
Trump briefly appeared in the dock last week and was fined $10,000 (£8,200) for breaching a gag order that barred him from personally attacking court staff in his fraud trial.
After being sworn into the dock and confirming his address, early exchanges included questions about ownership of his Trump Organisation and make-up of the board, as well as the appointment of his son Donald Jr to oversee the business.
Trump also told the court he expected to remain in politics beyond 2021 when he left office.
Inside court, NBC’s Adam Weiss said proceedings could get “very tense”, adding Trump appeared to be going off on tangents.
At one point, according to NBC, Judge Arthur Engoron asked Trump’s legal team to “control” their client, adding “this is not a political rally” and telling the former president “please, just answer the questions, no speeches”.
Later, Judge Engoron told Trump’s lawyer Chris Kise to “control” him, otherwise he would be dismissed from the stand.
When asked by the prosecution if a statement about the valuation of a property on Wall Street was accurate, Trump began to talk about the statute of limitations.
The judge replied: “Mr Kise that was a simple yes or no question. We got another speech. I beseech you to control him if you can. If you can’t, I will. I will excuse him and draw every negative inference that I can.”
Judge Arthur Engoron has threatened to remove Trump from the stand
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
What will decide the US election?
Trump calls the judge a ‘fraud’
Trump later turned his ire on Judge Engoron, saying he ruled against him before knowing anything about his company.
Judge Engoron has already ruled the Trump Organisation inflated its wealth – the trial is determining the punishment.
Raising his voice from the witness stand, he called the judge a “fraud,” while pointing his right hand at him and looking out into the courtroom.
Trump added that any fraud was on the part of the judge for his comments on the value of his properties, not on him, calling it “a terrible thing.”
After his comments, Kevin Wallace, a lawyer for the attorney general’s office, asked Trump is he was “done”.
“Done,” Trump replied.
Trump also reiterated his disdain for Attorney General Letitia James, who has brought the charges against him.
A court sketch of Donald Trump being questioned by attorney general lawyer Kevin Wallace (R)
‘We’ll explain as this crazy trial goes along’
Elsewhere, Trump told the court financial estimates of some of his properties were inaccurate, while also minimising the importance of the valuations.
He is accused of inflating his net worth to gain better financing terms with banks.
Trump said: “They just weren’t a very important element in the bank’s decision-making process, and we’ll explain that as this trial goes along, as this crazy trial goes along.”
Before the court adjourned for a break, Trump leaned into the microphone and said: “This is a very unfair trial. Very, very [unfair] and I hope the public is watching.”
His evidence is not being televised.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
What will decide the US election?
Donald Trump in court
Read more: All you need to know about the legal labyrinth facing the former president
Speaking outside the courtroom as he arrived on Monday, Trump said it was an “unfair” situation, adding: “These are political operatives that I’m going to be dealing with right now. You have a racist attorney general who’s made some terrible statements and you see some more that came over the wires today.
“It’s a very sad situation for our country. We shouldn’t have this. This is for Third World countries. And it’s very unfair. It’s very unfair.”
Before arriving at court on Monday, Trump wrote on his social network Truth Social: “Got a really Biased, Nasty, Club controlled, but often overturned, Judge, a Racist, Evil, and Corrupt Attorney General, BUT A CASE THAT, ACCORDING TO ALMOST ALL LEGAL SCHOLARS, HAS ZERO MERIT. A dark day for our Country. WITCH HUNT!”
His turn in the witness stand marks a significant moment in his 2024 presidential campaign, in which he is currently leading Joe Biden in a number of key states, according to a new poll.
The United States and European Union have agreed a trade deal, says Donald Trump.
The announcement was made as the US president met European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen at one of his golf resorts in Scotland.
Speaking after talks in Turnberry, Mr Trump said the EU deal was the “biggest deal ever made” and it will be “great for cars”.
The US will impose 15% tariffs on EU goods into America, after Mr Trump had threatened a 30% levy.
He said there will be an EU investment of $600bn in the US, the bloc will buy $750bn in US energy and will also purchase US military equipment.
Mr Trump had earlier said the main sticking point was “fairness”, citing barriers to US exports of cars and agriculture.
He went into the talks demanding fairer trade with the 27-member EU and threatening steep tariffs to achieve that, while insisting the US will not go below 15% import taxes.
For months, Mr Trump has threatened most of the world with large tariffs in the hope of shrinking major US trade deficits with many key trading partners, including the EU.
Ms von der Leyen said the agreement would include 15% tariffs across the board, saying it would help rebalance trade between the two large trading partners.
In case there was no deal and the US had imposed 30% tariffs from 1 August, the EU has prepared counter-tariffs on €93bn (£81bn) of US goods.
Ahead of their meeting on Sunday, Ms von der Leyen described Mr Trump as a “tough negotiator and dealmaker”.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the latest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
At least 11 people have been stabbed at a Walmart supermarket in Michigan, with six in a critical condition.
Officials say a suspect is in custody – and at this stage, it is believed the attack was a “random act” that involved a folding-style knife near the checkout area.
Sheriff Michael Shea told reporters: “Eleven is 11 too many, but thank God it wasn’t more.”
Pic: AP
The suspect, who is from Michigan, is not known to police – and was captured within three minutes thanks to “citizen involvement”.
The attack unfolded in Traverse City – and Tiffany DeFell, who was in the car park at the time, described scenes of chaos.
“It was really scary. Me and my sister were just freaking out,” she said. “This is something you see out of the movies.”
Beyond the six people in a critical condition, it is believed the remaining five were seriously hurt. All 11 are still being treated in hospital.
Pic: AP
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said: “Our thoughts are with the victims and the community reeling from this brutal act of violence.”
A Walmart spokesperson added that the retailer is working closely with law enforcement.
“Violence like this is unacceptable. Our thoughts are with those who were injured and we’re thankful for the swift action of first responders,” a statement said.
Pic: AP
At this stage, the ages of the victims is unclear – but it is not thought any of the victims were Walmart employees.
Traverse City is about 255 miles northwest of Detroit.
A US passenger plane made a dramatic plunge minutes after take-off to dodge another aircraft – injuring two cabin crew and causing passengers to shoot out of their seats.
The Southwest flight had just taken off from Burbank in California when the pilot received an alert about a nearby plane.
Data from FlightAware shows the aircraft dropped by 91m (300ft) in just 36 seconds. Those on board said they felt panicked, and some feared the plane was about to crash.
Comedian Jimmy Dore posted on X: “Pilot had to dive aggressively to avoid mid-air collision … myself and plenty of people flew out of their seats and bumped heads on ceiling, a flight attendant needed medical attention.”
Stef Zambrano saw a woman who wasn’t wearing her seatbelt thrown out of her seat, who then said: “I want to get off this plane. I want to be on the ground.”
Another passenger, Steve Ulasewicz, told NBC Los Angeles that it felt like the plane was in freefall for 10 seconds.
“People were screaming. You know, it was pandemonium. People thought the plane was going down,” he added.
The aircraft was able to continue to its destination of Las Vegas, where it safely landed without any further incident.
It is believed the Boeing 737 was in the same vicinity as a Hawker Hunter Mk. 58, a British fighter jet.
Southwest is now working with the Federal Aviation Administration “to further understand the circumstances” of the event.
Read more US news:
Trump issues warning as he arrives in Scotland
US justice department interviews Ghislaine Maxwell
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
January: Footage of Washington plane crash
This is the second time in a week that a passenger plane has had to make abrupt flight manoeuvres to avoid a potential mid-air collision.
Concerns have been raised about aviation safety in the US following a series of recent incidents.
In January, a mid-air collision in Washington DC killed 67 people.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike