Donald Trump appears to be struggling to get into the holiday spirit and is far from feeling thankful – that’s if his latest Truth Social rants are anything to go by.
In the early hours of Thanksgiving morning, the former president took to his social media platform to launch the latest in a growing number of attacks on the judge and court clerk in his New York civil fraud trial.
Bizarrely beginning with the phrase “Happy Thanksgiving”, Mr Trump unleashed on who he described as “the Racist & Incompetent” New York Attorney General Letitia James, “the Radical Left Trump Hating Judge, a “Psycho”” Justice Arthur Engoron and “his Politically Biased & Corrupt Campaign Finance Violator” court clerk Alison Greenfield.
“Happy Thanksgiving to ALL, including the Racist & Incompetent Attorney General of New York State, Letitia “Peekaboo” James, who has let Murder & Violent Crime FLOURISH, & Businesses FLEE; the Radical Left Trump Hating Judge, a “Psycho,” Arthur Engoron, who Criminally Defrauded the State of New York, & ME, by purposely Valuing my Assets at a “tiny” Fraction of what they are really worth in order to convict me of Fraud before even a Trial, or seeing any PROOF, & used his Politically Biased & Corrupt Campaign Finance Violator, Chief Clerk Alison Greenfield, to sit by his side on the “Bench” & tell him what to do; & Crooked Joe Biden, who has WEAPONIZED his Department of Injustice against his Political Opponent, & allowed our Country to go to HELL; & all of the other Radical Left Lunatics, Communists, Fascists, Marxists, Democrats, & RINOS, who are seriously looking to DESTROY OUR COUNTRY,” he ranted.
“Have no fear, however, we will WIN the Presidential Election of 2024, & MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
This marks just the latest attack on the judge, court clerk and New York AG amid the civil trial which threatens to topple his business empire in the Big Apple.
AG James filed a civil lawsuit in September 2022 accusing Mr Trump, his adult sons Don Jr and Eric, the Trump Organization and several executives of widespread business fraud including overinflating the company’s value for years.
Mr Trump has already been found liable for fraud – in a bombshell ruling from the judge just days before the case was headed to trial.
Judge Engoron ruled that Mr Trump, his adult sons, businesses and some of their executives “grossly and materially inflated” the value of the Trump Organization’s assets for more than a decade.
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks to Texas state troopers and guardsmen on Sunday— (AP)
By deceiving banks, insurers and others by exaggerating the value of assets, the company was able to secure more favourable business deals and loans, the judge found.
Now, the judge will determine what penalties Mr Trump should face, with AG James seeking $250m in penalties from Mr Trump and for him to be banned from doing business in New York – something that would be a major blow to his business empire and see his namesake buildings like Trump Tower shutter.
Mr Trump’s repeated attacks – which took place on Truth Social and in the hallways of the courtroom in comments to reporters on the days that Mr Trump turned up to the trial – led Judge Engoron to issue a gag order in the case back on 3 October.
Even then, the former president couldn’t help himself and was fined $15,000 for violating the order twice.
The gag order was also expanded to include Mr Trump’s attorneys after they also made comments about the court clerk.
However, last week, an appeals court put a pause on the gag order – freeing up Mr Trump once again to take aim at the court staff.
He wasted no time in doing so and has made several attacks on Ms Greenfield, AG James and Judge Engoron in the days that followed.
On Wednesday, attorneys for AG James’ office and the judge appealed the pause and urged the courts to reinstate the gag order – pointing to a barrage of “credible” threats against the judge, court clerk and other court staff amid Mr Trump’s comments.
In an affidavit, court security official Captain Charles Hollon said that the individuals had received “hundreds of threats, disparaging and harassing comments and antisemitic messages” following Mr Trump’s attacks on them.
The threats were described as “serious and credible and not hypothetical or speculative”, and they increased in prevalence “when Mr Trump violated the gag orders”.
Threatening voicemails targeting the court clerk alone filled more than 275 pages, the filing states.
One message to her read: “You should be executed.”
Judge Arthur Engoron presiding over the fraud trial— (REUTERS)
Mr Trump’s attorneys are yet to respond to the filing but the former president appeared unperturbed – going on his attack just hours later.
In another angry post on Wednesday night, he hit out at the delay in the release of hostages being held captive by Hamas militants in Gaza – unsurprisingly blaming President Joe Biden.
“Hostage deal substantially delayed. Too much talk, no action!!! Some hostages held by criminal syndicates of which Hamas has no control,” Mr Trump wrote.
“ZERO RESPECT FOR THE UNITED STATES, & OUR INCOMPETENT LEADERSHIP!”
On Wednesday, the Israeli government approved a truce agreement – brokered by the US, Qatar and Egypt – to secure the release of hostages kidnapped by Hamas in the 7 October attacks on Israel which left 1,400 Israelis dead.
Under the terms of the deal, 50 hostages – many of them women and children – would be freed by Hamas in exchange for a four-day pause in Israel’s air and ground campaign in Gaza. An unknown number of Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons will also be released as part of the agreement,The Independent learned.
The hostage release had been expected to begin on Thursday morning but it has now been delayed.
Israel’s national security adviser said in a statement that it will now not begin until at least Friday.
While Mr Trump seeks to blame Mr Biden for the delay, the Biden administration actually played a key role in getting the deal over the line.
The negotiations are said to have begun when the president travelled to Israel last month and met face to face with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu.
Additional reporting by Alex Woodward
