Donald Trumpā€™s court battle over claims he inflated his property values by $2.2 billion doesnā€™t seem to have deflated anyoneā€™s appetite.

A large order of McDonaldā€™s was lugged into the Manhattan court on Monday during the lunch break in Trumpā€™s $250 million civil fraud trial.

Staff in dark suits were spotted carrying the brown paper bags into the Centre Street complex after the former president listened to prosecutors accuse him of decades of ā€˜liesā€™ over his business empire.

Itā€™s not clear who ordered the haul of fast food, but Trump is known to enjoy an occasional meal from the Golden Arches.

His favorite meal is a Big Mac, Filet-O-Fish, fries and a vanilla shake.

Earlier this year, he told the workers he knew the menu better than they did during a visit to a McDonaldā€™s in East Palestine, Ohio.

He then gave burgers to members of the community devastated by a toxic train derailment.

One of his most famous White House events was when he gave the National Championship-winning Clemson University football team an order from his favorite fast food venue.

The court food order followed a dramatic morning session where Trumpā€™s lawyers said he was actually worth more than amounts prosecutors claim were fraudulent.

Trumpā€™s team also said Mar-a-Lago - which prosecutors said should be valued at as little as $18 million - is actually worth more than $ 1 billion.

In a combative defense opening statement Trump lawyer Alina Habba said: ā€˜There is a person out there who will buy that (Mar-A-Lago) for over $1 billion. Thatā€™s not fraud, thatā€™s real estate.ā€™

Earlier, Trump, 77, scowled and shook his head as prosecutors accused him of ā€˜lying year after yearā€™ to exaggerate the value of his property empire by $2.2 billion to obtain favorable bank loans.

In extraordinary scenes inside New York Supreme Court the judge Arthur Engoron grinned for TV cameras as Trump sat looking sternly on, at one point muttering under his breath.

Habba told the court the amount prosecutors claimed was fraudulent was 'frankly less than what they (the Trump family) are worthā€™.

She said the true value of Trumpā€™s net worth would include his personal brand from shows like The Apprentice.

ā€˜Thereā€™s a lot of people in this room that probably donā€™t like that but itā€™s a fact,ā€™ she said.

Habba claimed Trumpā€™s Florida golf course Doral was also worth over $1 billion, sparking laughter in the public gallery.

She said it was ā€˜one of the best golf courses in the countryā€™, and praised the Trump Organization as a ā€˜beautiful companyā€™. She added: ā€˜Real estate is malleable but there was absolutely no intent to defraud, no conspiracyā€™.

The case set a ā€˜very dangerous precedent for all business owners in the state of New York,ā€™ she said.

Just before entering the courtroom a combative Trump delivered an explosive tirade in which he railed against the ā€˜rogueā€™ judge and ā€˜racist horror showā€™ attorney general Letitia James, who brought the case.

Trump could face up to $250 million in fines and the potential loss of his licenses for buildings including Trump Tower in New York.

ā€˜This is a continuation of the single greatest witch hunt of all time,ā€™ Trump said before going into court. ā€˜Itā€™s a scam. Itā€™s a sham. There was no crime. The crime is against me.ā€™

  • SatanicNotMessianic@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    Youā€™re making a fair point, but we have to factor in:

    1. This is a Daily Mail article. Daily Mail makes the New York Post look like the New York Times. You kinda need to grade on a curve.
    2. Despite that, the bulk of the article is about the actual case against Trump. Some editor decided on the lede, but the article as a whole isnā€™t sensationalist tripe about fast food.