Trump Lashes Out At Attorney General Letitia James For "Smirking"

The NY attorney general rested her case in her office's prosecution of the Trumps for fraud. But the back and forth is likely to continue on social media.

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 08: Attorney General Letitia James arrives for the civil fraud trial of former President Donald Trump and his children at New York State Supreme Court on November 08, 2023 in New York City. Ivanka Trump, the eldest daughter of the former president, is set to testify as the New York attorney general’s final witness in the fraud case against her father and family’s business, in which New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking $250 million in damages.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 08: Attorney General Letitia James arrives for the civil fraud trial of former President Donald Trump and his children at New York State Supreme Court on November 08, 2023 in New York City. Ivanka Trump, the eldest daughter of the former president, is set to testify as the New York attorney general’s final witness in the fraud case against her father and family’s business, in which New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking $250 million in damages.
Photo: Michael M. Santiago (Getty Images)

New York Attorney General Letitia James rested her case against the Trump Organization earlier this week, drawing the closely watched fraud trial nearer to its conclusion. But just because they won’t be sparring in court anymore doesn’t mean there won’t be fireworks between Donald Trump and James on social media.

On Tuesday, Trump took to social media to attack the New York Attorney General for being “racist” and “smirking.”

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“Racist A.G. Letitia James is smirking all day long from her seat in Court,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

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For her part, James also doesn’t seem pleased with the Trumps. After seven weeks of a fraud trial involving the former President and his family, it’s hard to blame her.

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On Monday, Donald Trump Jr. took the stand, ostensibly to defend the Trump Organization against allegations that they heavily inflated the value of their properties to secure loans. However, instead of refuting the claims of widespread fraud with evidence, Trump Jr. fawned over photos of Trump properties, praising them for their “sexiness.”

After spending weeks showcasing hard evidence of alleged widespread fraud, James was not impressed.

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“Rather than respond to any legal claim against him and his family, Trump Jr. spent his time talking through pictures of Trump properties,” said James in a video she posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.

Though you might not know it from that testimony, the stakes are incredibly high for the Trump Organization: Not only is this a public undressing of the family’s empire in the very city in which it was built, but they risk hundreds of millions of dollars in fines and a ban on doing business in New York. The Trump Organization is massively invested in New York, meaning a guilty verdict would be financially devastating.

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In her video, James said none of these “glossy” photos are going to change the outcome. “The Trumps can try to impress and distract with glossy pictures of golf courses and glowing descriptions of condominium towers,” she said. “But we all know the facts of this case, and the facts don’t lie.”

Trump’s request for a mistrial was denied on Friday.