Donald Trump has criticized those who may seize his properties following his New York civil fraud trial as a key deadline looms on March 25.
The former president said that Judge Arthur Engoron and New York Attorney General Letitia James should not be allowed to take his assets, repeating his assertion that he had "done nothing wrong." In February, Engoron ruled that Trump had to pay about $454 million, with interest included, in penalties for fraud.
Writing on Truth Social, his social media platform, Trump said: "Why should a Crooked, highly political New York Judge, Arthur Engoron, working in concert and coordination with an even more Corrupt Attorney General, Letitia 'Peekaboo' James, his Puppet Master, and the White House, be allowed to take away, and sell off, very successful properties and assets that took me years to zone, build and nurture into some of the best of their kind anywhere in the World—WHEN I HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG!
"These Radical Left Lunatics and Communists ask me to pay a ridiculous and completely unheard of fine of over $450,000,000 only because they saw a similar amount in my bank account.
"I had intended to use much of that hard earned money on running for President. They don't want me to do that—ELECTION INTERFERENCE!"
The Context
Trump has until March 25 to come up with a bond, or James could begin seizing some of his assets and properties.
What We Know
On March 18, the former president's legal team said paying the full civil fraud penalty would be "a practical impossibility"—leading to speculation that James could soon begin seizing Trump's properties, or that he may be forced to sell some of his real-estate empire to pay the fine.
Views
Speaking to CNN, the Republican pollster Frank Luntz said the move would make the former president rise in the polls, and he called the opposition to Trump "pathetic."
"You're going to create the greatest victimhood of 2024, and you're going to elect Donald Trump," Luntz said.
"If they take his stuff, he's going to say that this is proof that the federal government and the establishment and the swamp in Washington and all the politicians across the country and the attorneys generals and all of this, that this is a conspiracy to deny him the presidency. He's going to go up in the polls, just like he went up every single time they indicted him," he continued.
The pollster added: "It will prove the things he is saying on the campaign trail, and he will go up, and it may just elect him president. Do not forget that. And I say this to the attorney general right now, if you play politics on this—this is what the secretaries of state did in Colorado and what they did in, I believe, Maine.
"His numbers went up in both states. I'm almost speechless in how pathetic the opposition to Trump has been and how completely misguided, and this is a perfect example of it."
What's Next?
Trump has yet to announce how his fine will be paid or what alternative action he may take.
Newsweek contacted a representative for Trump by email to comment on this story.
Update 3/25/24, 9:00 a.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Kate Plummer is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. politics and national affairs, and ... Read more
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