Trump defies judge, gives courtroom speech on tense final day of New York civil fraud trial

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

48% : Asked whether he would comply with the guidelines, Trump defied the judge and simply launched into his speech.
47% : Trump then launched into his remarks.
46% : Trump returned to court as a spectator Thursday despite the death of his mother in-law, Amalija Knavs, and the launch of the presidential primary season Monday with the Iowa caucus.
46% : Thursday's arguments were part of a busy legal and political stretch for Trump.
43% : State lawyers say that by making himself seem richer, Trump qualified for better loan terms from banks, saving him at least $168 million.
43% : Last month, in a ruling denying a defense bid for an early verdict, the judge signaled he's inclined to find Trump and his co-defendants liable on at least some claims.
40% : Trump, the leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination, has repeatedly disparaged Engoron, accusing him in a social media post Wednesday night of working closely with the New York attorney general "to screw me."On Wednesday, Engoron had nixed an unusual plan by Trump to deliver his own closing remarks in the courtroom, in addition to summations from his legal team, after lawyers for the former president would not agree to the judge's demand that he stick to "relevant" matters."WATCH:
40% : Engoron asked Trump whether he would abide by the guidelines he had laid out earlier, which included not trying to introduce new evidence or making a campaign speech.
40% : Engoron then told Trump he had a minute left, let him speak a little more, and then adjourned.
37% : Among them, Engoron warned that Trump couldn't use his closing remarks to "deliver a campaign speech" or use the opportunity to impugn the judge and his staff.
34% : Trump has pleaded not guilty.
31% : "Judge Arthur Engoron -- who had denied Trump permission earlier to give a closing statement at the trial -- let him continue almost entirely uninterrupted for what amounted to a brief personal summation, then cut him off and recessed for lunch.
30% : Trump spoke as the judge was trying to find out if the former president would follow rules requiring him to keep his remarks focused on matters related to the trial.
29% : Thursday's court action featured the start of closing arguments in the trial over allegations that Trump exaggerated his wealth on financial statements he provided to banks, insurance companies and others.
29% : Trump says he did nothing wrong.
28% : NEW YORK (AP) -- Barred from giving a formal closing argument, Donald Trump still seized an opportunity to speak in court at the conclusion of his New York civil fraud trial Thursday, unleashing a barrage of attacks in a six-minute diatribe before being cut off by the judge.
28% : "We have a situation where I am an innocent man," Trump protested.
28% : In a pretrial ruling, he found that Trump had committed years of fraud by lying about his riches on financial statements with tricks like claiming his Trump Tower penthouse was nearly three times its actual size.
27% : Besides monetary damages, James wants Trump and his co-defendants barred from doing business in New York.
23% : The arguments Trump's attorneys are making to claim he's immune from Jan. 6 prosecutionAfter two of Trump's lawyers had delivered traditional closing arguments Thursday, one of them, Christopher Kise, asked the judge again whether Trump could speak.
22% : Brooks and Capehart on Supreme Court deciding if Trump can remain on ballotsTaking the bench a few minutes late, Engoron made no mention of the incident at his home.
17% : What's happened here, sir, is a fraud on me," Trump said.
17% : In New York, James sued Trump in 2022 under a state law that gives the state attorney general broad power to investigate allegations of persistent fraud in business dealings.
4% : Biden lambastes Trump for Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a day 'we nearly lost America'Since the trial began Oct. 2, Trump has gone to court nine times to observe, testify and complain to TV cameras about the case, which he called a "witch hunt and a disgrace.

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