Donald Trump on Thursday paid his $9,000 fine for repeatedly violating a judge’s order and brazenly launching a volley of intimidating attacks against witnesses and jurors in his ongoing New York trial.
The business tycoon has a long history of stiffing business partners and refusing to pay court ordered fees in a timely fashion, but he cut the New York State court system two checks just two days after a judge found him in contempt mid-trial.
The payments were confirmed by the clerk’s office at the Manhattan criminal courthouse late Friday afternoon on a phone call three minutes before closing for the week.
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A court clerk told The Daily Beast the payment was made in two installments: $2,000 and $7,000. It wasn’t immediately clear why Trump would have to cut two checks to cover the penalty. Although the total doesn’t amount to much compared to the value of his extensive real estate portfolio and steady flow of donor cash for the leading Republican presidential candidate’s 2024 run, it was the statutory maximum allowed under state law. In the end, it was roughly the cost of a Brioni suit–his preferred brand.
Trump had been ordered to pay up after ignoring New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan’s warnings–and a formal court order–forbidding the politician from employing his closely monitored public speaking platforms to engage in intimidation tactics by painting targets on the backs of witnesses and everyday New Yorkers who are serving on the 18-person jury.
Trump might still be on the hook for another $4,000 in fines for additional violations of the same gag order, a censure that was requested by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office earlier this week.
So far, Trump has shown a greater willingness to pay up when ordered by a criminal judge than a civil one. Two Trump companies quickly paid a $1.6 million fine after they were convicted of tax fraud in 2022. By contrast, he dragged his feet–and unsuccessfully appealed– when ordered to pay fines for ignoring subpoenas and violating a gag order in a bank fraud case that wrapped up earlier this year. In that separate matter, he is also appealing a half billion dollar judgment that threatens to seize his overvalued properties in New York.
