Donald Trump cuts and runs as his New York civil fraud case gets even uglier for him
How poorly did Donald Trump’s decision to attend his New York civil fraud case go for him? By mid-day Tuesday the judge hit him with a gag order, and by the end of the day the judge cleared the courtroom in order to speak to Trump privately. It appears Trump couldn’t handle being the most powerless person in the room, so today he skipped town while the trial was still going on.
Trump is not required to attend this trial. But New York Attorney General Letitia James has listed him as a witness for the state. Because this is a civil trial, if Trump refuses to testify and defend himself, the judge can and will factor that when determining the financial penalties. So if Trump has permanently skipped out, and doesn’t circle back to testify, then he presumably just cost himself even more money.
Letitia James responded to Trump’s vanishing act by saying “Mr. Trump is no longer here. The Donald Trump show is over.” She’s right. Trump showed up to his trial to try to intimidate James and intimidate the judge, but none of it worked. These are serious people. So of course Trump cut and ran. But by doing so, he didn’t “get away” with anything. Instead he basically forfeited.
