How much is Mar-A-Lago worth?
That's the point of contention in a NYC trial that is close to wrapping, brought forth by Attorney General Leticia James accusing Trump of exaggerating his Mar-A-Lago property value.
He says it's worth at "least $420 million and perhaps $1.5 billion." They value it more, like 18 - 37 million.
In the civil fraud trial, New York Attorney James is seeking to "claw back" $250 million for the state and place severe sanctions against Trump designed to limit his ability to do business in New York.
Trump has referred to James as "crazy" and a "lunatic" for pushing the matter into civil court and tying him up with trite legal matters he believes are all politically motivated.
A Palm Beach real estate agent I spoke to specializing in high-end properties scoffed at the idea that his estate could be valued so low.
For comparison, David Skok purchased Epstein's Palm Beach mansion for $25.8 million last year. A teardown, essentially. The former Kennedy estate on Ocean Blvd sold for 70 million in 2020.
Trump has also been silenced by a gag order issued on October 3, right after the trial opened, by New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron, who is overseeing the trial to determine if Trump and his sons falsely inflated property values.
Engoron also imposed limited speech prohibitions on Trump's attorneys later that month.
Gag Order Explained by The Washington Post
Reason for gag: Trump’s fixation with Engoron’s law clerk and his claims that she was biased and overly influential in the case led Trump to post identifying information about her on social media. Millions of Trump followers were able to see the item, and the clerk began receiving a flood of threats. According to Engoron, he feared for her safety.
How it limits Trump’s speech: Trump cannot discuss any member of the judge’s staff, including the law clerk. But he is free to make comments about the judge and about New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), who brought the lawsuit, and he continues to do so.
Clip from Trump’s Deposition
Trump Derangement Syndrome / According to WIKI
(TDS): A pejorative term, usually for criticism or negative reactions to former Donald Trump that are perceived to be irrational, and presumed to have little regard towards Trump's actual policy positions, or actions undertaken by his administration.
Origin of the term : The origin of the term is traced to conservative political columnist and commentator Charles Krauthammer, a psychiatrist, who coined the phrase Bush derangement syndrome in 2003 during the presidency of George W. Bush
Definition: Fareed Zakaria defined the syndrome as "hatred of President Trump so intense that it impairs people's judgment"
Usage: The term has been widely applied by pro-Trump writers to critics of Trump, accusing them of responding negatively to a wide range of Trump's statements and actions
In The Overflow Room
I suppose we came face to face with TDS during our trip to NYC last month to witness Trump testifying in court on November 6. Nearly everyone we talked to was there hoping to snag a seat in the courtroom, but as hateful spectators.
All of them, oddly desperate to be close to him.
"I can't think of anyone I can't stand who would cause me to wake this early and stand in line for hours to catch a glimpse of," I told one of them. The only comparison I could come up with is waking at 5 am and standing in line for 4 hours to experience Meghan Markle (in the flesh) for a book reading.
When I explained to one of the women in line that we were there covering slices of the campaign trail from a female's perspective, she was genuinely interested in the idea. However, she wondered if we had encountered any women who supported Trump, because she couldn't see how that was possible.
A couple of men in the group carrying anti-Trump books spent half an hour gleefully comparing what they despise most about him. One was caught on T.V. recently cursing about him in court and said when his mother caught wind of it, she was "very proud of him."
"I want to see him muzzled and shackled today like Hannibal Lector!" - he said.
"I hope the court gets swallowed into the bowels of hell," another guy joked.
One man, a retired attorney there "out of pure interest" stood quietly watching our conversations.
Knowing his legal background, I asked his opinion on Kennedy.
"I followed him closely for his environmentalism for years and used to believe he was relatively sane," he replied. Then he referred to RFK as a "disrupter" meant to knock Biden out of office.
The twins, 'Blue and Huckleberry,' were first in line and the only supporters we talked to. They rode over on bikes from Hell's Kitchen the night before and slept on a park bench overnight hoping to gain court access to Trump on the witness stand.
"At some point, maybe in my very old age, I'll go there and do the most beautiful thing you've ever seen," — Donald J. Trump
One of the officers I approached said he could not comment on his thoughts about the case because it had caused another officer "some trouble" days before.
When pressed for more details, he said this guy voiced his support for Trump in court. "All I can say is it's not right what's going on up there," he told me.
Inside a crumbling courthouse interior, we were told at the end of a long line that snaked through a long hallway leading to the corridors of the courtroom that they would not be letting in any members of the public.
A couple of the early-morning Trump haters looked like they might legitimately cry upon hearing this.
All of us ended up in the overflow room with phones allowed, which allowed me to track the court hearing with real-time updates on I.G. stories. This is a tactic I've never used before but it proved a valuable alternative because it exposed how sharply conflicting the mainstream recaps that came later were —painting Trump as unhinged and out of control on the stand when in reality, it was the judge behaving with almost theatrical rage, pounding his fist on his desk at one point out of mounting frustration.
Trump was calm and collected. He did the hand thing and condemned ‘Ch-eye-na’ once, but it was all fairly reserved.
"Trump tested Justice Arthur Engoron's patience by rambling about his wealth, the beauty of his properties, and his grievances with the justice system."
Did he succumb to occasional rambling? Yes, of course. Did he overly accentuate how "beautiful" his buildings are? Absolutely. Especially Trump Tower “by Tiffanys.” We found it all hilarious, though. He waxed on about all his pretty buildings and money and bragged about having no mortgage on Mar-A-Lago. And then we were scolded at one point for laughing too loud over some of his long rambling descriptions.
The guy loves his real estate!
Some of his remarks caused people in the room to argue in whispered tones over who (Trump or the Judge) was out of line. One woman with a thick accent that sounded exactly like Melania's came to his defense every time.
When I asked her where she was from, she grew instantly coy, saying, "Somewhere in Europe," which naturally caused me to start googling images of Melania's extended family members immediately.
“Donald Trump complained of unfair treatment in defiant and rambling testimony on the witness stand at his New York civil business-fraud trial on Monday, prompting the judge to threaten to cut his testimony short.” — Reuters