Trump Completes Testimony in Chicago Trial, Tells Reporters Plaintiff Tried to ‘Rip’ Him Off
A scowling Donald Trump raised his voice on the witness stand Wednesday while an attorney grilled him and then rolled his eyes at the “Apprentice” star’s answers, prompting a federal judge to scold both men in open court and order them to behave.
The admonition came during Trump’s second and final day on the stand at a civil trial where he is accused of making false promises to an investor to lure her into purchasing condos at his glitzy Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago.
“You have been dancing around and boxing each other,” U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve told Trump and plaintiff’s attorney Shelly Kulwin. “You’ve got to stop it.”
“Let’s get control of ourselves,” she added before a brief recess.
After cooling down during the final minutes of his testimony, Trump heated back up as he spoke to reporters on his way out of the Chicago courthouse.
“This is a disgrace,” Trump said, blasting the 87-year-old investor whose lawsuit led to this week’s trial. “She’s trying to rip me off.”
Jacqueline Goldberg’s suit claims Trump carried out a bait-and-switch in which a profit-sharing plan was promised then withdrawn after she agreed to buy two condos for around $1 million apiece at the 92-story luxury building; it opened in 2009.
After court adjourned Wednesday, Kulwin responded to Trump’s claim that he, not Goldberg, is the victim.
“The notion is ludicrous,” he told reporters.
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