Donald Trump's son, Donald Jr., testified in defense of the former president at a civil fraud trial against their family business on Monday, claiming his father has a prowess for finding the "sexiness" in real estate.
Lawyers for the Trump Organization brought Trump's eldest son back to the Manhattan Supreme Court for day 30 of the trial, which began the defense team's rebuttal against Attorney General Letitia James. James is attempting to prove Trump inflated the value of his assets to achieve favorable loans and insurance premiums.
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Trump Jr. said his father "has been good at finding value, doing something differently” and identifying “sexiness within a real estate project."
“It’s just a sexy place,” he said of Trump Tower, located at 725 5th Ave in New York City. Trump “really created a market for a sexy condominium”, his son said from the witness stand, also lauding his father as an "artist" and "visionary" with real estate.
In late September, Judge Arthur Engoron issued a summary judgment holding Trump, his adult sons, and other co-defendants liable for fraud in relation to asset valuations. The remainder of the trial is for determining other narrow claims against the organization and to determine penalties.
Engoron on Monday pushed back against James's bid to block Trump attorney Cliff Robert from submitting into evidence a February 2022 valuation of Trump's Doral Golf Resort & Spa that valued the property at $1.3 billion. Trump purchased the property for $150 million in 2012 and spent $250 million on renovations.
The judge suggested the 2022 valuation was a "stupid document" but ruled against the attorney general's request to quash its submission, saying that blocking the document wouldn't be worth risking a reversal of the verdict, according to CNN. Eclipsing the latest drama in the weeks-old trial is Trump's looming move to file for a mistrial, as he has argued Engoron is a partisan judge who has unfairly treated him throughout the trial, including by imposing a gag order that Trump has violated twice, incurring $15,000 in fines.
Trump Jr. was questioned by James's team of prosecutors earlier this month, and he denied under oath having a role in the preparation of his father's financial statements. The defense team is likely to call Eric Trump and the former president to testify again after prosecutors questioned both earlier this month.
The former president is also facing four separate criminal indictments: two brought by special counsel Jack Smith over alleged efforts to subvert the election and allegedly retaining classified documents, respectively, and one criminal indictment each in Georgia and the Empire State. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all 91 counts he faces while he seeks a second term in the Oval Office.
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Before leaving the stand for the day, Trump Jr. reminded the public that his father is running a political campaign from within the courtroom, as the former president faces a towering legal schedule ahead of Election Day next November. Many campaigning days overlap with scheduled courtroom appearances. Trump Jr. said the future of his father's business empire could depend on the outcome of that election.
"I guess a lot of that depends on what happens next November,” Trump Jr. said. “We’ll probably be put on hold for a little while and sued into oblivion for the foreseeable future."