Ledger · Between terms · № 185

Announced he would testify in his own defense at the NY fraud trial

Never delivered
“I will not be testifying on Monday. I have already testified to everything & have nothing more to say.”
Promised
, Truth Social, after his lawyers had told the court he would take the stand on December 11, 2023
Stated deadline
“Monday, December 11, 2023”
Re-promised
2 times with a fresh deadline
Topic
Justice & the courts
Era
Between terms

What happened

Trump's team had scheduled him to testify under friendly questioning to rebut New York AG Letitia James's claim that he fraudulently inflated property values. On December 10, 2023 he cancelled in an all-caps Truth Social post calling the case a "witch hunt." He had testified once, under hostile questioning, on November 6, 2023. Judge Arthur Engoron ruled against him in February 2024 with a judgment exceeding $450 million with interest.

Sources

  1. Trump will not testify in his civil fraud trial NPR, Dec 11, 2023
  2. What to know about Trump's decision to not testify again in New York civil fraud trial CNN, Dec 10, 2023
  3. Trump will no longer testify in his own defense in N.Y. civil fraud case Axios, Dec 10, 2023
  4. Trump Cancels Planned Testimony In Fraud Trial Forbes, Dec 10, 2023