Ex-US president Donald Trump wore a gloomy expression on his face as he returned to his New York civil fraud trial on Tuesday. Before entering the Manhattan courtroom, the 77-year-old Trump spoke to reporters, attacking New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the civil fraud case against him, the judge presiding over the trial, and President Joe Biden.
Notably, Ms James' lawsuit alleges that Trump and his company deceived banks, insurers, and others by massively overvaluing his assets and inflating his net worth on his financial statements. However, he has denied any wrongdoing.
Trump's former personal lawyer-turned-foe Michael Cohen had been scheduled to testify at the trial on Tuesday but delayed his appearance to attend to what he said was a medical issue.
Meamwhile, pictures and videos of him looking morose and rather unhappy in the courtroom have surfaced on social media.
Watch the video here:
Notably, Trump does not risk going to jail in the fraud trial, but Ms James is seeking $250 million in penalties and the removal of the former president and his sons from the management of the family empire.
Trump attended the three opening days of the trial and returned again this week, complaining during breaks in the proceedings that he was being "railroaded" by Democratic prosecutors seeking to derail his 2024 White House bid.
Outside the courtroom, Trump said the case was "a disgrace" and slammed Ms James as a "radical lunatic,'' Newsweek reported. "We worked hard, my family. My children are involved in this and they shouldn't. They don't deserve to be involved in this. This is a witch hunt by a radical lunatic attorney general...," Trump said.
But he indicated he would likely not appear again Thursday, because he will be busy with the LIV international golf tournament at one of his properties near Miami.
Trump also faces federal charges for alleged mishandling of classified documents after he left the White House and has been charged with racketeering in Georgia for trying to overturn the 2020 election results in the southern state.