‘Going To Be Here Until Midnight’: Trump Reportedly Rambled Non-Stop During NY Deposition

Last year, New York Attorney General Letitia James claimed the Trump Organization illegally increased their profits by hundreds of millions of dollars by exaggerating the value of their properties.

A transcript of a deposition recently revealed that former US President Donald Trump rambled so frequently throughout a formal interview that a lawyer with the Office of the New York Attorney General griped: “We’re going to be here until midnight.”

The deposition was made public ahead of Trump's September 22 hearing over a state lawsuit that accuses the former commander-in-chief of engaging in business fraud practices that saw his net worth skyrocket by some $2 billion.

The attorney general's case against Trump indicates the former president, as well as his two eldest sons, and two of his former top executives repeatedly inflated his net worth in financial filings made on behalf of the Trump Organization. Prosecutors argue that by doing so, it helped Trump deceive banks into extending lower-cost loans that saved him hundreds of millions of dollars in interest.

During the seven-hour deposition, Trump rambled about various topics including his “beautiful” marble bathrooms, a reference to the historical figure George Washington, and boasted that he could have done more sales than “ever” during his presidency.

When asked how his children’s roles in the Trump Organization changed after he was elected to the US presidency, Trump strayed from the answer and began to talk about North Korea.

“I was interested in solving the problem with North Korea, which was ready to blow up, and solving the problems we had with China, who was just ripping us off left and right, and making sure that Russia never went into Ukraine, which they didn’t, under our auspices and, you know, a lot of other things,” Trump said as part of his lengthy response.

When the former president was asked to clarify his answer, he continued to pile details onto his response.

“I think you would have a nuclear holocaust, if I didn’t deal with North Korea. I think you would have a nuclear war, if I weren’t elected. And I think you might have a nuclear war now, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said.

The attorney general's lawyer, Kevin Wallace, then responded: “I’m not going to use my seven hours on nuclear war.”

When asked how involved he was in his family’s business dealings during his presidency, Trump launched into another lengthy answer in which he boasted about the properties that the Trump Organization owns.

“We have properties that make money, but you can sell for many, many times because of the quality of the property like a Turnberry in Scotland,” said Trump, who complained several times that the lawsuit was "unfair."

“I think Turnberry would be a case in Scotland. We had — it’s part of the Rota. The Rota is, I believe, the seven courses that played the British opening, which is called the Open Championship, which is the biggest of all tournaments. And that's one of the places - one of the seven - I believe it's seven - that are approved for it. And they've been approved for a hundred years, as they've been approved for a long time. You just don't get on the list.”

His lengthy response continued as he described hypothetical real estate deals and sales, as well as past real estate purchases.

At one point in his deposition Trump stated: "If you look—I mean, I became president because of the brand, okay. I became president. I think it's the hottest brand in the world,” he answered when asked if he had considered development on one of his properties.

“I did an NFT deal the other day. Everyone is saying - a few months ago everyone was saying the NFTs are dead. And it was dead. People are saying, what are you doing in NFTs? It sold out in less than a day. It was supposed to take six months. It sold out in less than a day.”

At some point, one of the lawyers said: “I don't feel like we need to spend a lot of time on your brand value, because it is not part of the statement. The banks didn't want that.” In response, Trump seemed to panic, saying: “It is part of my statement. I just didn’t include it. But if I wanted to include it, my statement would have been double.”

At one point during the deposition, the lawyers appeared to turn on each other, with Trump’s lawyer, Chris Kise, saying: "We’re going to be here until midnight if you keep asking questions that are all over the map.”

To which Wallace said: “Chris, we’re going to be here until midnight if your client answers every question with an eight-minute speech. So let’s get down to business.”

Wallace then addressed a primary topic in the lawsuit. "I just want to go back to a couple of things you said. ...The first is, you said, 'I didn't need banks for the most part.' So why did you use banks?"

"Because you do it. It's better tax-wise," Trump said. "You do it."

Trump then went on to claim he paid off all of his loans, and that prior to the ongoing lawsuit by James' office, banks wanted to do business with him “so badly.”

"Politics hurt. When I get sued by you — fortunately, I don't need banks," Trump continued. "I mean, paid off all that stuff that you used to talk about. I paid it off."

"What would your considerations be when you're deciding whether or not I'm going to use a bank or I'm going to borrow money for this project?" Wallace asked.

But Kise objected to the question, saying that "before he was president covers from the 1950s all the way to 2017." To which Wallace noted the inquiry "was clear until you decided to mess it up." It was only then that Kise retorted with: "No, it wasn't."

"He understood it and was able to answer it," Wallace said. "So, if you want to object, say object. Don't sit — don't try to make the question more complicated."

The deposition took place on April 13 in Manhattan. The former president sat face-to-face with the attorney general, who is seeking to permanently bar him and other Trump family members, from conducting business in New York. The suit is also seeking $250 million in penalties.

In a legal filing on Wednesday, the James urged Judge Arthur Engoron to grant summary judgment on one of her seven claims, alleging Trump and his company defrauded lenders, insurers and others by lying about his wealth and the value of his assets.