The trial against Donald Trump began after Justice ruled that the Republican primary candidate and his children committed fraud to build their real estate empire. The former president appeared at the Manhattan court to testify accompanied by several Secret Service agents and his lawyer.

Before entering the court, Trump gave a brief statement to the media and called Letitia James - the prosecutor who began investigating him in 2019 - a "racist attorney general" and accused her of wanting to "hurt him" before the elections. "It has never happened before. It is the single greatest witch hunt of all time," added the Republican candidate.

Moments before the trial, James posted on her X account (formerly Twitter) that Trump "lied about his net worth to enrich himself and cheat the system." She celebrated that Justice ruled in favor of her proceeding with her investigation: