Donald Trump Jr. took the stand Wednesday afternoon at his father’s civil fraud trial in New York City.
He faces grilling from the New York Attorney General’s office about the Trump Organization’s financial statements, which prosecutors allege were falsified to massively inflate the value of Donald Trump’s properties.
A deeply tanned Don Jr., in a dark suit and pink tie, was called to the witness stand shortly before 3 p.m.
Prior to his testimony, a knot of photographers came in to snap his picture.
“I should have worn makeup!” he quipped, his dad joke falling pancake-flat in the hushed courtroom.
Don Jr. showed up at Manhattan Supreme Court shortly after 2 p.m., to a crush of photographers and news crews lined up along the sidewalk out front.
His testimony followed that of Michiel McCarty, a banking expert called by the prosecution. He testified Wednesday that the Trump Organization improperly received more than $168 million under loan terms made more favorable by manipulating the value of its assets.
New York State Attorney General Leticia James watched the proceedings from a seat in the front row as Assistant Attorney General Colleen Faherty asked Don Jr. about his educational background.
He described himself as a licensed real estate broker who serves with siblings Eric and Ivanka as officers of Trump International Realty. When Faherty asked Don Jr. if he was familiar with the acronym “GAAP,” or “Generally Accepted Accounting Principles,” he replied, “I understand what it stands for,” and that he learned it “in Accounting 101 in the late 90s.”
“That’s why we have accountants… I rely on their opinions to make assessments,” Don Jr. testified.
As for his official title at the Trump Organization, Don Jr. said he was presently an executive vice president.
“Where does EVP fit within the [corporate] hierarchy?” Faherty asked.
“Fairly high up,” Don Jr. said.
The AG’s lawsuit alleges Trump’s three adult children were “intimately involved” with the operation of the family business. Ivanka is no longer a party to the suit but has been subpoenaed to testify. On Wednesday, her lawyers filed a notice of appeal, saying she should not be forced to appear because she is no longer named in the suit and now lives in Florida.
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