Judge Quashes Trump Bid to Give His Own Closing Arguments

Donald Trump will not be able to deliver closing remarks in his New York civil fraud trial on Thursday, the judge overseeing the case said, after lawyers for the former president couldn’t guarantee that Trump wouldn’t veer from matters relevant to the case.

Judge Arthur Engoron had initially agreed to allow Trump to provide part of the closing argument for his case, so long as he hewed to the purpose to the case, which is to assess the damages he owes for inflating the value of his assets on financial documents in order to secure business loans, among other things.

“He may not seek to introduce new evidence. He may not ‘testify.’ He may not comment on irrelevant matters,” Engoron told Trump’s attorneys in an email posted in court documents.

“In particular, and without limitation, he may not deliver a campaign speech, and he may not impugn myself, my staff, plaintiff, plaintiff’s staff, or the New York State Court System, none of which is relevant to this case, and all of which, except commenting on my staff, can be done, and is being done, in other forums,” he said.

But Trump’s lawyers failed to provide the necessary assurances and Engoron, saying the situation would be “fraught with ambiguities” and that it could result in an “unintended violation.”

“I will not debate this again. Take it or leave it. Now or never,” Engoron replied at 11:54 a.m. Wednesday. “You have until noon, seven minutes from now.”

Trump’s lawyers never responded.

The decision is a major blow to Trump, undercutting his ability to campaign from the courtroom and use the trial’s closing argument to air grievances, manipulate facts and pander to his adoring base that seldom appears to question his version of events.

Moreover, the rejection comes at a time when Trump, the leading GOP presidential nominee who is facing 91 criminal charges across four indictments, is increasingly finding out that the legal system doesn’t work like the political system – a system he’s been exploiting for personal gain for years now.

Just one day earlier, Trump sat in a courtroom in downtown Washington, D.C., and watched while a three-judge panel riddled his defense attorney with pointed questions about how he could possibly claim presidential immunity should shield him from criminal charges related to his attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election and incite a violent insurrection at the Capitol.

“Is anyone surprised anymore?” Alina Habba, Trump’s top attorney in the fraud case, said in a statement after it became clear Trump would not provide closing arguments.

During testimony, the former president drew the ire of the judge, who repeatedly urged Trump to answer questions directly instead of grandstanding and providing long-winded responses that failed to address specific questions. Yet Trump used the opportunity to deliver political statements about the trial and to disparage the judge and prosecutors. He has twice been fined for violating a gag order.

Engoron has already found Trump and his two adult sons guilty of fraud based on a case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, which claims that Trump fabricated his net worth, including inflating the value of his properties, in order to secure loans as well as tax and insurance benefits.

James initially sought $250 million in damages but last week revised that figure up to $370 million, arguing that he gained that amount through his fraudulent actions. James is also asking the court to bar Trump from participating in New York’s real estate industry and from running any company in the state.

Engoron is set to decide the financial penalties by the end of the month.