Donald Trump has testified in a New York court as he battles a civil fraud trial that threatens his real estate empire
He repeatedly clashed with the judge, who asked Trump's lawyers to 'control your client' during a series of heated exchanges
The former president is accused of massively inflating the value of properties by over $2bn (£1.65bn) in order to secure favourable loans
Losing the trial could result in a $250m fine, a ban on Trump doing business in his home state, and losing control of iconic properties like Trump Tower
The judge has already ruled that Trump significantly inflated the value of his properties
Trump and his adult sons have denied accusations they falsified business records and committed insurance fraud, among other claims
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
Former President Donald Trump has just taken the stand in his civil fraud trial. He walked slowly over to the stand in his blue suit.
It's the second time he's done so in this case after he was questioned earlier about violating a gag order.
The former president is being sworn in, agreeing to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
While we wait for Donald Trump to take the stand, let's take a moment to go over some of his remarks to the media before heading into the courtroom.
As he has for the duration of this civil fraud case, the former president denies any wrongdoing and says the trial is a political attack on him.
He says he is being attacked by US President Joe Biden, who has received bad news from recent polling data.
Trump adds the value of his property is "much greater" than the estimates accepted during the trial, going on to accuse people involved in overseeing his case of being "political operatives".
He called the trial "ridiculous".
You can watch his remarks in full below:
Donald Trump: This trial is political 'lawfare'
Chloe Kim
Reporting from court
Former President Donald Trump has just entered the courtroom to testify.
Donald Trump has arrived and is giving a statement. You can watch along by pressing the Play button at the top of the page.
Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court
In his speeches and on social media, Trump speaks in all-caps: attacking his rivals, making outlandish (and easily fact-checked) claims, and going on meandering tangents about anything preoccupying his mind.
But in past court appearances, he has remained silent unless entering a plea, letting his lawyers do the arguing for him.
It's two very different sides of Trump, and we're waiting to see which version appears in court today.
Nada Tawfik
Reporting from court
Image source, Ron Galella Collection via Getty ImagesThis case is incredibly personal to Donald Trump because it threatens an image that he has spent his entire business and political career carefully crafting.
While several New York developers were far more successful than him during his rise, Trump was a master at marketing and made his name synonymous with luxury New York real estate.
In the 1990s, he was a constant fixture in New York’s tabloids, published a book called “The Art of the Deal,” appeared on television programmes including “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” from his lavish properties that brandished his name in gold, and scored several cameos in Hollywood.
When the filmmakers from Home Alone 2 wanted to shoot a scene in the lobby of The Plaza Hotel, which he owned at the time, and he insisted that as part of the agreement, he appear in the movie.
But in later years, it was undoubtedly the show The Apprentice, which was set in Trump Tower, that cemented his image as a business mogul.
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
New York Attorney General Letitia James has just walked into court, wearing a grey suit.
She's speaking to other attorneys at the front of the courtroom after giving brief remarks outside.
Image source, ReutersNew York Attorney General Letitia James has just given some remarks to the media outside court.
She says Donald Trump has repeatedly "misrepresented and inflated the value of his assets" and says she is sure he will "engage in name calling, taunts and race baiting" ahead of taking the stand.
James also says Trump is likely to call this a witch hunt again, adding: "But at the end of the day, the only things that matters are the facts and the numbers".
"And numbers, my friends, don't lie."
A crowd gathered outside court can be heard cheering as she walks up the steps.
Donald Trump is at the courthouse but we are yet to see him on our cameras.
When he does emerge, we may get a short statement from the former president as he heads into the courtroom. He has spoken to media on several other days he attended the trial.
We have a livestream outside the entrance of the courtroom where you can watch along. Press the play button at the top of this page as we wait for Trump's remarks.
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
We've just made it into the courtroom where former President Donald Trump is expected to take the stand in less than an hour.
The room is crowded today, with reporters packed into rows of seats and a long line of members of the public and other journalists still waiting to get into the room.
It's a bigger audience than we saw for both of Trump's sons, Donald Trump Jr and Eric, when they testified in the trial last week.
The former president has departed Trump Tower and has now arrived at the New York Supreme Court, where he's slated to testify later this morning.
Nada Tawfik
Reporting from New York
Donald Trump will need to do several things at once on the stand today.
He’ll need to appear credible to the single judge, not a jury, who will be deciding the future of his namesake empire. A judge, remember, who Trump has slammed as a Democrat operative.
He’ll also need to make sure that this doesn’t hurt him politically given he is overwhelming the favourite to be the Republican presidential nominee.
He’s taken advantage of the spectacle of this case to frame the proceedings in his favour in front of assembled cameras outside the courtroom. But at least from the witness stand he’ll have to temper that approach.
And perhaps most importantly, he’ll need to avoid saying anything that could hurt him in any of his pending criminal cases and investigations - where unlike this one - jail is on the table.
Phil McCausland
BBC News
His campaign efforts may be hampered by numerous courtroom visits - like this one in New York - but Trump is polling well a year from the 2024 presidential election.
The leading Republican contender is polling ahead of President Joe Biden in five of six swings states, a series of New York Times/Siena College polls published yesterday indicate.
Despite Trump's legal woes, Biden is running at a deficit largely over economic issues and concerns the US could be pulled into a global conflict under his leadership.
A second poll, published by CBS News, indicated that voters are most concerned about their finances.
Almost half believe a Trump presidency will benefit them more than another Biden term, the poll suggested. Less then 20% said the same about Biden.
Trump's testimony today could serve as an early test of his political resilience. We may see whether it helps to galvanise his support - or his opposition.
Pratiksha Ghildial
Reporting from New York
It’s a crisp 8C (46F) outside the Manhattan Supreme Court where NYPD have beefed up security before Mr Trump’s expected arrival around 09.45 local time.
Some cops are having coffee and sharing some light moments in the park opposite the court house.
One cop told me they have been here since 06:00 and, when asked how long they expect to be here, he said “hopefully not too long”.
Nada Tawfik
BBC News
At the start of this trial, I asked Donald Trump as he was walking into the courtroom if he would testify. He declared defiantly that he would.
Choosing to do so is not an easy decision for defendants called to take the stand in a civil case.
As opposed to criminal trials, refusing to answer questions by invoking their fifth amendment right against self-incrimination can be used against them.
The judge here could draw “adverse inference", meaning he could presume there is truth to the prosecutor’s questions. Sometimes, this can cost a defendant their case.
However, the judge has already ruled against Donald Trump and his sons, finding they did commit fraud. And Donald Trump already answered questions in a deposition, after originally invoking his fifth amendment right more than 400 times.
Still, legal experts say he would be well-advised to invoke his fifth amendment right, given anything he says could be used in his other criminal indictments and investigations.
Trump repeatedly invokes Fifth Amendment in deposition
Trump's New York fraud case explained... in 60 seconds
Phil McCausland
BBC News
There is plenty to watch for when the former president takes the stand later today.
It's a first in many ways. Most importantly for him and potential voters - the frontrunner for next year's Republican presidential nomination has not testified publicly in any of the other ongoing legal cases against him.
But he has already clashed with the judge overseeing the case, Arthur Engoron, who twice ruled that Mr Trump had violated a gag order forbidding him from criticising court staff and fined him $15,000, total.
In today's turn on the witness stand, he is to face a grilling, under oath, about evidence the trial has heard that he directed asset values to be fraudulently inflated so his company could secure favourable loans.
It's possible Trump could invoke his constitutional right against self-incrimination, known as pleading the fifth, in this case. He did so more than 400 times during oral testimony he provided before the trial.
But that does not mean he'll do the same when he takes the stand.
HIs testimony also goes against every political communications strategy in history, presidential historian Lindsay Chervinsky told the BBC
"A president's speech is supposed to be fairly carefully curated," Chervinsky said. "In a trial, you never know what's going to come up."
Testimony in Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial in New York has so far featured a cast of characters. Here’s a look at some of the main players (who don’t have the surname Trump):
Image source, EPA-EFA, Reuters, GettyFrom left: Judge Arthur Engoron, NY Attorney General Letitia James, Alina Habba, Christopher Kise
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from New York
Good morning again from New York Supreme Court.
We’ve been in line since 05:00 local time to see Donald Trump take the stand in his business fraud trial.
There are about 50 other journalists in the queue as well, along with a couple of curious members of the public.
There is security - barriers and a few police - but so far nothing more than on previous days.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe case could see Mr Trump stripped of properties including Trump Tower
The former president, his two adult sons - Donald Jr and Eric - and the wider Trump Organization are accused of massively inflating the value of their properties by more than $2bn (£1.65bn), in order to secure favourable loans.
The judge in the case, Arthur Engoron, has already ruled that Trump misrepresented his wealth by millions of dollars.
His Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida was over-valued by 2,300% in one financial statement and his Trump Tower triplex in New York City was presented as three times its actual size, the ruling said.
This trial focuses on six other claims made in the lawsuit, including falsification of business records, insurance fraud and conspiracy.
On the opening day, lead attorney for the state, Kevin Wallace, said the defendants falsified records for personal gain.
They knew the statements were false, he said, and "then used them to pursue and obtain financial benefits".