'The public is angry': Trump tries to whip up fury as fraud penalties loom

Donald Trump claimed victory in a New York fraud trial he has already lost and issued some thinly veiled threats against the judge, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and court clerk he's barred from discussing.

The former president defied Justice Arthur Engoron, who had barred him from delivering closing arguments or making a campaign speech, and issued a six-minute tirade Thursday against James and proclaimed he was the victim of a political attack, and he elaborated on those themes of persecution the following morning on social media.

"Why didn’t Judge Engoron announce his decision yesterday after we proved conclusively that I DID NOTHING WRONG!!!" Trump posted on Truth Social. "NO JURY ALLOWED, Great Financial Statements, No Victims, No Fraud, No Crimes, Happy Banks and Insurance Companies, only success and profits — And a corrupt N.Y.S. Attorney General, who sat comfortably and confidently in Court yesterday with her shoes off, arms folded, a Starbucks Coffee, and a BIG smile on her face… JUST LIKE SHE KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT THE DECISION WILL BE!"

Trump has raged throughout the proceeding that a jury wasn't present, but court records show the attorney general's office requested a bench trial and the former president's attorneys did not file corresponding documents seeking a jury, and Engoron issued a summary judgment at the start of the case that James had shown enough evidence to prove persistent fraud.

"The closing argument of the State was pathetic, NO WITNESSES AND NO EVIDENCE AGAINST ME!" Trump said. "Legal Scholars are 'killing' the A.G. and Judge for this Witch Hunt."

After placing the verb "killing" in the same sentence with the attorney general and judge, the former president suggested Engoron was being influenced by a court clerk he has been ordered not to talk about after he suggested she was a political operative.

"The Judge is being badly influenced, and the Gag Order must come off!" Trump said. "REMEMBER,THIS JUDGE RULED AGAINST ME BEFORE THE TRAIL EVEN STARTED, AND HE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THE CASE. The public is angry over this HOAX. This trial is RIGGED!"