10:06 AM EDT October 3, 2023to his business fraud lawsuit trial.
by exaggerating the size of his penthouse at Trump Tower, claiming his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida was worth as much as $739 million and putting similar oversized valuations on office towers, golf courses and other assets. Trump's lawyers said the statements were legitimate representations of the worth of unique luxury properties, made even more valuable because of their association with Trump.After staying away from a previous trial, in which his company and one of his top executives was convicted of , Trump spent hours sitting in court watching Monday's opening statements, emerging several times to tell reporters that the trial was “a sham" intended to hurt his 2024 election prospects.