Donald Trump defended himself under oath on Monday, lashing out at a judge and prosecutor in a New York civil suit that threatens his real estate empire, the first of many for the billionaire who dreams of returning to the White House, AFP reported.

Court photo of TrumpPhoto: Fulton County Sheriff’s Office / Zuma Press / Profimedia

The 77-year-old former US president testified in a tense, sometimes tense atmosphere for nearly four hours after being sworn in with his hand raised in a packed Manhattan courtroom.

Accused of vastly inflating the value of his real estate assets (such as Trump Tower in New York) to persuade banks to give him bigger loans, the boisterous billionaire has defended himself step by step, denying any fraud and mounting more or less brutal charges.

The tone rose when he called New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who initiated the proceedings, a “petty politician” and then Judge Arthur Engoron, with whom he has a bad relationship, as “a very hostile judge.”

“This is a political witch hunt,” as usual, Donald Trump condemned, pretending to be the victim of alleged judicial machinations worthy, as he said, of “Third World countries and banana republics.”

“There are no victims, the banks made a lot of money”

Throughout the hearing, Judge Arthur Engoron struggled to formulate answers from Donald Trump, who was sitting next to him.

“We are not at a political meeting,” warned the judge, who since the start of the trial has twice fined the former president $5,000 and $10,000 for assaulting his clerk.

Prosecutor Letitia James accused Donald Trump and his sons of revaluing the group’s assets – a host of companies that manage skyscrapers, hotels, luxury residences and golf courses around the world – in order to obtain better bank loans and more favorable insurance terms.

Donald Trump hit back by talking up the value of the “jewels” of his empire, such as his luxury Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, and said the assets were instead “undervalued” and that banks were doing good business lending to them. “lots of money”.

“There are no victims, the banks made a lot of money,” he said.