Donald Trump on Wednesday falsely claimed that he “won” one of his court battles—either his civil fraud case or his defamation case—in an appeals court.
After meeting with Teamsters President Sean O’Brien in Washington, D.C., Trump took questions from reporters, one of whom asked how he intends on paying the hefty $83 million penalty from his recent defamation trial and what is likely to be a several hundred million dollar judgment in his civil fraud case.
“Do you plan to try to use campaign funds or PAC money to try to pay some of the penalties in the New York defamation and fraud cases?” a reporter asked.
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After Trump said he didn’t understand, the reporter said again, “Are you thinking of potentially trying to use campaign money to pay some of those penalties you incurred?”
“What penalties?” Trump replied, seemingly unaware that a New York jury didn’t order him to pay writer E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million just last week.
“In the New York fraud case and the defamation case,” the reporter said again.
Trump’s response was especially detached from reality.
“I didn’t do anything wrong. I mean, that’s been proven as far as I’m concerned. And actually, we won in the Court of Appeals. You probably saw that. That case has been largely won in the Court of Appeals,” he insisted, though nothing like that has happened in either case.
In his civil fraud trial, New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking at least $370 million in damages. In a ruling last fall, Judge Arthur Engoron determined that the Trump Organization had engaged in “persistent and repeated fraud.” Engeron’s decision to remove its New York business licenses and dissolve it has been on hold while an appeals court reviews the matter.
Trump has also said he would appeal the recent defamation verdict.
“That was a political case coordinated with the White House by the attorney general—I assume is what you’re talking about,” he said, not clarifying which case he was referring to. “And we won that case largely in the Court of Appeals.”
As for what Trump’s PACs have been spending money on besides his campaign, $50 million went toward legal bills last year, The New York Times reported Tuesday. None of Trump’s four criminal trials have begun yet.
