'Defiant' Trump thinks winning election will let him regain wealth he'll lose in fraud trial: analyst

Former President Donald Trump knows he's already lost his civil fraud trial in New York, wrote Heather Digby Parton for Salon Wednesday. But there's a reason he's still acting "defiant and courageous" about it.

Judge Arthur Engoron has already held Trump liable in a summary judgment, and the trial unfolding this week is largely about determining damages. Trump suffered a further blow after a mixup by his attorney resulted in him receiving a bench trial rather than a jury trial, something he is visibly angry about.

"Trump was already in a bad mood on Tuesday after Forbes Magazine dropped him from the list of the 400 Richest people in America which, according to Forbes, is largely because his investment in the Truth Social platform has turned out to be a dud," wrote Parton.

"If this trial proceeds as it appears it's going to, he's going to fall even further. He stands to lose his New York properties and $250 million or more in punitive damages. Of course, Trump doesn't have the emotional bandwidth to care about what's happening on Capitol Hill right now. This is important."

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Trump, she continued, has "decided that stalking around and glowering like his mug shot will make his followers see him as defiant and courageous in facing down his accusers." And he's further decided that, "if he becomes president again there will be ample opportunities to regain his fortune."

Above all, she added, Trump wants the world to see that "he isn't a loser," and continuing to attack the justice system threatening him is the only way he knows how to show that.

"If he is ultimately held accountable, I'm sure his followers will believe he's been railroaded and we don't know exactly what they'll do," concluded Parton. "But at least the rest of the country might regain some faith in the rule of law. Right now, it's hanging by a thread."