'Hottest brand in the world': Trump never thought his finances 'would be taken very seriously'
New York Attorney General Letitia James' ongoing $250 million fraud case against ex-President Donald Trump, Associated Press (AP) reporter Michael R. Sisak offers a peek into "some of the highlights" of the 2024 hopeful's newly released testimony.
Per Sisak's report, "Trump's lawyers posted a transcript of his deposition in a flurry of court filings Wednesday, ahead of" trial scheduled for October 2.
"Do you know the banks made a lot of money?" the former president asked. "Do you know I don't believe I ever got even a default notice and, even during COVID, the banks were all paid. And yet you're suing on behalf of banks, I guess. It's crazy. The whole case is crazy."
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Trump went on to say "he never felt his financial statements 'would be taken very seriously' — that people who did business with him were given ample warning not to trust them," and he "described the statements as 'a fairly good compilation of properties' rather than a true representation of their value," referring to them as "guesstimates."
The former president "estimated that his 'brand' alone is worth 'maybe $10 billion," calling it 'the most valuable asset I have' and attributed his political success to the ubiquity of his name and persona."
He insisted, "I became president because of the brand, OK. I think it's the hottest brand in the world."
Sisak reports:
Plus, Trump said, he was busy solving the world's problems — like preventing North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un from launching a nuclear attack.
'I considered this the most important job in the world, saving millions of lives,' Trump testified. 'I think you would have nuclear holocaust if I didn't deal with North Korea. I think you would have a nuclear war, if I weren't elected. And I think you might have a nuclear war now, if you want to know the truth.'
Trump's often garrulous testimony was a 180-degree turn from the approach he took when James summoned him for questioning in August 2022 — before her lawsuit or any of the four criminal cases against him were filed.
At that first deposition, Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination and refused to answer questions more than 400 times. Trump said he did so because he was certain politically motivated prosecutors would use his answers as a basis for criminal charges.
By April, Trump changed his mind and responded to even simple questions at such length that his interrogator, James' deputy Kevin Wallace, suggested he was trying to run out the clock.
Associated Press' full report is available at this link.
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