Judge Arthur Engoron stated that he does not expect Donald Trump to speak during closing arguments in the $370 million New York civil fraud trial against Trump. In a letter to attorneys for Trump and New York Attorney General Letitia James, Engoron expressed that Trump has not agreed to the conditions set by the judge should he wish to give a statement.
The judge extended the deadline to agree to the terms more than once and gave Trump’s team a final chance just before noon Wednesday. Engoron stated, “I won’t debate this yet again. Take it or leave it. Now or never. You have until noon, seven minutes from now. I WILL NOT GRANT ANY FURTHER EXTENSIONS,” in a message to Trump’s attorney Chris Kise.
The New York attorney general alleges that Trump, his two adult sons, and his company defrauded banks and insurance companies by inflating the value of the former president’s assets. Engoron has already ruled that Trump was liable for fraud and is now considering damages and six additional claims in the bench trial.
Trump and his team have used his court appearances to claim election interference by Joe Biden, paint his legal woes as political persecution, and draw media attention away from his Republican rivals. The closing arguments took place two days after Trump’s lackluster appearance in a Washington, DC, courtroom yielded less fanfare than the former president has grown accustomed to.
Despite Trump insisting on attending the hearing, his appearance was intended to be a distraction from his GOP rivals six days ahead of the Iowa caucuses. Trump’s team scrambled to hold a last-minute press event afterward, causing the US Secret Service and his team to scramble for him to deliver remarks at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
Meanwhile, Engoron has denied a coalition of media organization’s request to televise the closing arguments due to serious safety issues. However, cameras will still be allowed to take video and photos of Trump and the attorneys before closing arguments begin.
This story and headline have been updated with additional developments. CNN’s Jeremy Herb contributed to this report.