Former US President engaged in repeated clashes with a judge during his testimony in a civil fraud trial in New York, which poses a threat to his property empire.
Judge Arthur Engoron, visibly exasperated, reminded Mr. Trump that the courtroom was not a political rally.
New York’s attorney general is seeking a $250 million (£202 million) fine and significant restrictions on the Trump family’s business.
Judge Engoron has already ruled that the Trump Organization committed fraud.
Prosecutors allege that Mr. Trump, along with his adult sons Eric and Donald Jr, and other Trump Organization executives, inflated the company’s assets by more than $2 billion to secure favorable loans.
The trial will determine the appropriate penalties to be imposed.
In court on Monday, prosecutors began their questioning of Mr. Trump regarding his company, the location of its assets, and the valuation of its properties.
Mr. Trump, however, often responded with lengthy monologues about real estate and his investment choices, leading to reprimands from Judge Engoron.
At one point, the judge stated, “Please just answer the questions without giving speeches.”
“Some of your responses have not been relevant to the questions asked,” he added.
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Later in the proceedings, Mr. Trump remarked, “I’m sure the judge will rule against me because he always rules against me.”
Judge Engoron fired back, saying, “You can criticize me in any way you want, but please answer the questions.”
The judge then turned to Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Christopher Kise, and asked, “Mr. Kise, can you control your client? This is a courtroom, not a political rally.”
“I implore you to rein him in,” the judge added. “If you cannot, I will.”
Later, Mr. Kise commented that with Mr. Trump, “it’s more effective to listen and absorb everything.” One of the attorney general’s lawyers chuckled.
Judge Engoron’s voice grew louder as he told another defense attorney, Alina Habba, “No, I am not here to listen to what he has to say. I am here to hear him answer the questions. Please sit down.”
In the afternoon, the judge referred to Mr. Trump as a “broken record.”
Similar to his two sons’ testimony last week, Mr. Trump stated that the Trump Organization’s accountants were responsible for the financial reports.
“All I did was authorize and provide the necessary information for the accountants to prepare the statements,” Mr. Trump said.
He also sought to refute the allegations that the company’s properties were overvalued.
Instead, Mr. Trump argued that they were undervalued, and banks were “thrilled” to grant him loans.
He claimed that his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and certain golf courses were worth more than their listed prices and that his personal brand strengthened their value, although he argued that his brand was never factored into financial statements.
Toward the end of the morning’s testimony, Mr. Trump referred to New York Attorney General Letitia James as a “political hack,” pointing her out in the courtroom.
“I believe this is a political witch hunt, and she should be ashamed of herself,” he said about the prosecutor who brought the case. “This is the opposite of fraud. She is the fraud.”
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Both Mr. Trump and Judge Engoron were more subdued in the afternoon session.
As he left the courtroom, the former president once again called the case a “fraud.”
He added that he believed his testimony “went very well.”
“This case should never have been initiated, and it should be dismissed immediately,” Mr. Trump asserted.
Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor, shared with the BBC that Mr. Trump’s combative responses indicate that his legal team believes they have already lost the case.
“They are attempting to spin or add some flair to a very poor outcome,” said Mr. Mariotti.
Mitchell Epner, another former federal prosecutor, stated that Judge Engoron could have held Mr. Trump in contempt of court for his behavior on the witness stand.
The judge had already fined Mr. Trump $15,000 for comments he made outside of court last month.
Mr. Trump’s last voluntary appearance in court was at the end of October to observe the testimony of his former attorney, Michael Cohen, who claimed that Mr. Trump had instructed him to manipulate financial statements.
His daughter, Ivanka, is expected to testify on Wednesday.
The civil case in New York is one of several legal battles in which Mr. Trump is currently embroiled.
He also faces four criminal indictments, two of which concern his alleged attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, one related to the mishandling of classified documents, and another accusing him of falsifying accounting records in relation to hush money payments.
