Trump Avoids Paying Full $454 Million Civil Judgment for Now, But Faces April 15 Criminal Court Date

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

61% : The $454 million figure in the case represents the amount Trump saved in interest payments by deceiving banks into giving him better loans, plus the sale of two properties he made that were helped by receiving those loans.
49% : In addition to the financial penalty, the ruling forbade Trump from obtaining any new loans or running any company within the state of New York, including those he owns, for the next three years.
48% : But the appellate court judgment removed most of those regulations on Trump and his company -- only the monitor stipulation remains in place until the appeals process plays out.
44% : Trump, who owns billions of dollars in assets, was unable to do either by a Monday morning deadline, which could have resulted in state Attorney General Letitia James seizing some of his assets later that day.
42% : Instead of the $454 million figure, Trump now only owes $175 million to the court.
42% : Cohen was ordered by Trump to pay Daniels himself, after which the lawyer would be reimbursed by the Trump Organization under the guise of standard attorney fees.
39% : "Predictably, after the hearing -- during which the defendant was in attendance -- Trump characterized the decision as "election interference" and a "witch hunt" against him.
26% : For example, Trump told his former "fixer" lawyer, Michael Cohen, to pay adult film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep her from divulging an affair she and Trump had in 2006, soon after the birth of his youngest son and just one year after his marriage to former First Lady Melania Trump.
25% : Trump faces criminal charges from the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office, stemming from the revelation that he made hush-money payments to adult entertainers he had extramarital affairs with before the 2016 presidential election.
24% : Trump was previously found guilty in a civil fraud case in New York stemming from his inflation of his net worth in order to secure loans from banks in the state.
23% : Predictably, Trump claimed the new criminal trial date amounted to "election interference" and a "witch hunt."A pair of decisions by two different courts in New York state gave former President Donald Trump mixed outcomes, with one delivering a huge financial lifeline and the other setting up a criminal trial date to commence in a matter of weeks.
21% : Cohen has admitted to the scheme; although several pieces of evidence relating to the payments have been made public, Trump still denies he did anything wrong.
20% : When Trump lawyer Todd Blanche requested another delay during the hearing on Monday, saying that Trump "should not have to sit for a trial" because of the 2024 presidential election, Merchan responded by simply stating: "See you all on the 15th.
19% : Such payments on their own are not illegal under state law -- however, Trump has been accused of falsifying his business records in order to make it more difficult to view the payments, which were made to conceal his affairs.
18% : Federal Judge Aileen Cannon, who Trump appointed while president, is siding with a number of questionable motions by his lawyers in the case regarding his removal of classified documents from the White House after his term expired.
14% : In a separate ruling from another New York state-based court on Monday, however, Trump received bad news.

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