Closing Arguments Begin in Trump's Civil Fraud Trial

Trump Defends Himself in Court, Calls for Damages Amid Accusations of Asset Inflation

Closing arguments have begun in Donald Trump's civil fraud trial in New York, where he is accused of inflating the value of his assets on financial statements provided to banks, insurance companies, and others.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking nearly $370 million in penalties and a lifetime ban on Trump from the state’s real estate industry.
Trump's defense team argues that the case is a politically motivated 'witch hunt' and that any discrepancies in property valuations were harmless, as lenders and insurers still profited from their dealings with Trump.
Trump was allowed to make a five-minute statement during the closing arguments, in which he called himself a 'victim' and argued that his company should receive damages for what it has been through.
The judge presiding over the trial, Arthur Engoron, has already found Trump liable for fraud in a pretrial ruling, leaving the trial to focus largely on how much money Trump should surrender as ill-gotten gains.