Donald Trump is already used to being at the center of legal proceedings, but the civil trial that began today in New York is different from the others, because it puts his own economic and real estate empire at risk. The fraud case, for which New York Attorney General Letitia James is asking for compensation of 250 million dollars, affects two of the most important things for the tycoon, his children – who are co-defendants – and his ‘brand’, therefore his own image as a successful businessman, in which he also played his political career. James’ accusation against Trump is that he manipulated and inflated the value of his properties for years to obtain advantages with bank loans, insurance and taxes, with statements that Judge Arthur Engoron has already recognized as fraudulent.
But the greatest danger to Trump and his empire comes from the request, reiterated today in court by prosecutors, to prohibit the tycoon and his children from continuing to do business in the state of New York: «Year after year, loan after loan, the Defendants manipulated the value of Trump’s assets to maintain favorable interests – prosecutor Kevin Wallace said in court – if it’s one thing to exaggerate to get into the Forbes rankings, you can’t do it while doing business in the state of New York. York”.
Such a request, which the judge has already partially accepted, would strike at the heart of the very structure of the Trump Organization, which has its headquarters and main properties in New York, and would be a “personal” earthquake for Trump and his family. . Even the line of defense that emerged from the opening statements of Trump’s lawyers confirms how in this trial they intend to defend the tycoon’s brand of success: «President Trump earned billions of dollars by building one of the most successful real estate empires in the world – in words of lawyer Chris Kise -, he built a fortune by being literally right about real estate investments.” And Trump himself, in statements to the press before entering the Chamber during which he denounced that “there was no crime, the crime is against me because we have a corrupt prosecutor”, he said that his “financial statements are phenomenal”. Trump trembles for his empire.
Source: IL Tempo

John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.