FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks during a break in his civil business fraud trial at New York Supreme Court, Oct. 25, 2023, in New York. The Donald Trump who testifies at a New York civil trial on Monday may be more subdued than the version often seen in campaign rallies. it will be an undeniable spectacle: a former president and the leading Republican presidential candidate defending himself against allegations that he dramatically inflated his net worth.
“It’s going to be a stunning moment. This is dramatic enough if he was simply an ex-president facing these charges. But the fact that he is the overwhelming favorite to run the GOP, it makes this a staggering Monday,” said presidential historian Douglas Brinkley. Trump will also be joined by his former fixer and attorney-turned witness, Michal Cohen, who said in an interview he was planning to attend Monday's proceedings.
Trump is also likely to be asked about how he views and values his brand – and the economic impact of his fame and time as president -- and may be asked to explain claims that his financial statements actually undervalued his wealth. “Right now this New York attorney general case is a threat to the extinction of his eponymous company as well as his financial future," he said. Trump's forthcoming criminal cases — accusing him of misclassifying hush money payments, illegally trying to overturn the result of the 2020 election and hoarding documents at his Mar-a-Lago club"have far more significant consequences, most specifically the termination of his freedom.