Donald Trump found his status as a former president was no match for a judge's authority inside his own courtroom.
The 2024 Republican presidential frontrunner testified Monday in a New York City courtroom in the $250 million fraud trial against his family owned business, and New York Supreme Court justice Arthur Engoron repeatedly reprimanded Trump for veering off topic and delivering campaign-style rants instead of answering prosecutors' questions – which CNN columnist Stephen Collinson said must have come as a shock.
"Monday was also a rude awakening for Trump," Collinson wrote.
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"Retired commanders-in-chief are usually surrounded by a force field of deference, with their secret service detachments and forever title of 'Mr. President,'" Collinson added. "Trump has long posed as the alpha male and his entire business and political creed — in person and on social media – is based on intimidation. But it must have been a long time since anyone had shushed Trump like Engoron, cutting him off ahead of another meander by saying, 'No, no, you answered the question.'"
The witness was referred to only as "Mr. Trump," and not "Mr. President," and sat slumped in the witness chair after the judge interrupted his diatribes.
"The trial quickly became a test of wills between Trump and Engoron over who controlled the court," Collinson wrote. "After one trip by Trump down a rabbit hole, the judge asked the lawyers if they had asked for an 'essay' on brand value. Frustrated with partisan asides, Engoron warned that 'this is not a political rally, this is a courtroom.' And the judge bristled at the ex-president’s complaint that he always ruled against him."
The judge eventually yielded and let Trump ramble from the stand, possibly to avoid offering grounds for appeal, but the pair clashed over Trump's "broken record" answers.
"Engoron will however get the last word, " Collinson wrote. "He has already ruled that Trump, his two adult sons and the Trump Organization are liable for fraud in inflating his wealth in return for advantageous deals with banks and insurance firms. The trial will resolve related claims and decide how much restitution is due and whether he will be barred from doing business in New York."
