Trump is sentenced after several years of exaggerating the value of his assets. The judge describes it as a painted fantasy world. How will it affect the image of Trump?
It is the judge Arthur Engoron who believes that Donald Trump is guilty of having lied and greatly exaggerated the value of his assets. The aim must have been to obtain better contracts, interest rates and lower insurance premiums.
The judge believes that, among other things, he inflated the value of his properties, to around ten times the real value. The judge has thus followed the line of Letitia James, the head of the New York State Department of Justice. The judge’s ruling comes after preliminary hearings for the trial, which begins Monday, October 2, with six more counts remaining in this civil case.
This civil suit is not likely to affect Trump’s image very much, other than that he is a worse businessman than he makes out. The upcoming criminal cases are considerably more serious and may have greater political consequences.
What consequences will this have for Trump?
Letitia James, wants a fine of approximately SEK 2.7 billion and that Trump’s company be stopped from operating in New York. But the trial is expected to last until December and the outcome is far from clear. It can therefore have some consequences for his company in the form of, for example, frozen contracts, and difficulties acting in the state of New York.
Trump himself and his representatives believe that the judge’s decision in this civil case is wrong and that they will appeal the decision. That does not prevent him from standing in the upcoming presidential election.
What further lawsuits lie ahead for Trump?
In addition to this civil case, four major criminal cases are ongoing, which are described by many as significantly more serious than the civil and financial cases. The most serious federal charge involves complicity or knowledge of the storming of the Capitol in January 2021. Another charge involves his handling of classified documents allegedly stored at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
There is also a case involving whether he ordered payments to prevent sensitive information from getting out about him.
The last important thing concerns the state of Georgia and whether, among other things, Trump tried to overturn the election results there. The trial in the criminal cases is expected to begin early next year, that is, months before the presidential election in the United States.