Image source, Reuters

The eldest Trump daughter had proposed a host of reasons for why she should not have to testify in her father and brother’s civil fraud trial.

One of the main arguments was that she had moved away from New York and the family business in recent years.

She also claimed to be too busy taking care of her children to testify during a school week.

“Ms Trump, who resides in Florida with her three minor children, will suffer undue hardship if a stay is denied and she is required to testify at trial in New York in the middle of a school week, in a case she has already been dismissed from, before her appeal is heard,” her lawyers said in a legal filing.

Both arguments proved unsuccessful, with an appeals court swiftly turning down her bid not to take the stand.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from court

Ivanka Trump was intimately involved in running her father’s business.

In particular, prosecutors say she took the lead on negotiating and securing financing with Deutsche Bank for properties including Trump Doral Golf Resort in Miami, Trump Chicago and the Old Post Office in Washington DC.

The interest rates on the loans were low because they required a personal guarantee from Trump and evidence of his liquidity and net worth.

Hence, prosecutors argue, Trump’s annual statement of financial condition were central to those loans and saved him more than $100m (£81.4m).

Donald Trump’s testimony was that the banks didn’t care about his statements, which he said included a “worthless clause” disclaimer.

Former NY federal prosecutor Kristy Greenberg says that Ivanka’s testimony could contradict that assertion.

She expects Ivanka will be asked many questions about her conversations with the banks and her family that led to securing those low rates.

Brandon Livesay
Reporting from New York

New York Attorney General Letitia James just spoke on the steps of the courthouse.

James says Ivanka Trump will likely try to distance herself from the family business, but James says she was "very much involved".

She claims Ivanka personally benefited from schemes that got the Trump Organization favourable loans.

"We look forward to your testimony," James says.

Once again, a reminder that Ivanka is not charged in this fraud case and is testifying as a witness.

Image source, EPA/Justin Lane

Trump’s eldest daughter tried to avoid testifying in this trial, arguing she had moved away from New York and had stepped away from the Trump Organization in 2017.

She was originally a defendant in the case alongside her brothers Eric and Donald Trump Jr, but was dismissed earlier this year due to the state’s statute of limitations.

Prosecutors have argued that Trump’s daughter has important information to share about the events being examined in the case.

New York Judge Arthur Engoron agreed, ruling she must take the stand because she still maintains ties to Trump businesses.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from court

It’s not as easy to predict how Ivanka Trump will handle herself on the witness stand, compared to her brothers.

Dan Alexander, a senior editor at Forbes Magazine, doesn’t believe she will say anything to intentionally anger her father, but that she may have to reluctantly admit things that will be helpful to the prosecution.

In conversations with Forbes over the years, Dan says it was clear that Ivanka had no inhibitions about exaggerating facts and figures to pump up the value of their assets.

She is a master at marketing like Donald Trump, he says, she’s just decided to fashion herself in a very different image.

Kristy Greenberg, a former NY federal prosecutor, adds that Ivanka might, like her brothers, cast the blame on others in the company or say she can’t recall certain older details.

We won’t have to guess for much longer, though, as her testimony is expected shortly.

Chloe Kim
Reporting from court

Image source, Reuters

We have made it through security and are now in the courtroom ahead of Ivanka Trump's testimony.

About midnight local time, Donald Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social about his "wonderful and beautiful daughter" testifying in front of Judge Engoron today.

He called the judge and the New York attorney general "fraudulent" and went on to say: "Now they are trying to bring Ivanka into the case, despite the Court of Appeals ruling that she cannot be charged".

It's important to note that Ivanka is not a co-defendant in the fraud case.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Ivanka Trump is the final Trump child who will take the stand in this phase of the proceedings. Her brothers, Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump, appeared last week.

She successfully petitioned to be dropped as a defendant, but lost her appeal against testifying.

Ivanka's testimony has the most family drama surrounding it. She has always appeared, from the outside, to be the closest to Donald Trump himself.

We have just seen Ivanka Trump arriving at the courthouse in Manhattan.

Court is scheduled to start at 10:00 local time (15:00GMT).

Brandon Livesay
Live reporter

Hello and welcome to our coverage of Donald Trump's civil fraud case.

Ivanka Trump is testifying today and is the last member of the Trump family to take the stand.

Unlike her father and brothers - Don Jr and Eric - the oldest Trump daughter is not a co-defendant in this case.

But the judge has ordered her to testify because of her links to the family business.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has already set the tone for the day with a tweet, shared in the last hour.

James says: “Ivanka was a senior executive at the organization who secured more favorable loans by using Trump’s fraudulent statements of financial condition. You cannot cheat for personal gain."

Our reporters Kayla Epstein, Chloe Kim and Madeline Halpert are at court to bring you all the latest updates as they happen. Stay with us.