Will Donald Trump lose his tower now? Trump wants her gone, but Judge Chutkan refuses to back down

Trump Tower was and is the pride and an important source of income for the real estate magnate and ex-president of the same name. There he filmed his popular TV show ‘The Apprentice’ and there he announced his candidacy for president after sliding down the escalator with his wife.

Although he now lives at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, Trump still has an apartment in his tower. It is not 2,800 square meters, as the Trump Organization has claimed to the banks, but at most about 900 square meters, and it is not worth $330 million, as Trump also claims, but a fraction of that. The tower also has ten fewer floors than Trump claims.

When Trump brags on the political stage, there are no consequences. However, if he gives false information to banks and insurance companies, the fun is over, especially if the lies are systematic. This was exactly the case. Letitia James, the attorney general of New York State, successfully sued Trump for this business conduct.

The procedure has been dragging on since 2019 and given the countless other lawsuits against the ex-president, most people have forgotten about it, especially because it is not a criminal case but a civil case. Unlike the four other cases against him, where he faces 91 charges, Trump faces no prison time in this case.

Nevertheless, Trump suffered his most painful defeat yet in this process. On the one hand, he faces a $250 million fine if convicted. On the other hand, Arthur Engoron, the responsible judge in New York, has already made a far-reaching decision. He has noted that Trump and his two sons are guilty of commercial fraud and are threatening to revoke his business licenses.

This judge’s decision hurts Trump twice as much. He could therefore be placed under de facto guardianship, or as the New York Times puts it: “It’s as if the court has revoked his driver’s license. His fleet is still his, but he is no longer allowed to get behind the wheel.

Because the actual trial does not start until next Monday, the extent of this court order is still unclear. Trump’s lawyers have also filed an appeal. However, the omens for the ex-president are bad. His organization could lose control of the heart of the real estate empire and possibly the golf resorts also controlled from New York.

Attorney General James aims to accomplish exactly this, explaining, “We are pleased to present the remainder of our indictment.” She is not to be trifled with. She has already won her criminal case against the Trump Organization, prompting CFO Allen Weisselberg to serve a three-month prison sentence.

It’s not just the threat of a $250 million fine that hurts. The judge’s decision hits Trump “at the core of his identity,” as the New York Times notes. The ex-president sees himself first and foremost as a successful businessman who has raised billions in the tough real estate sector and used that as a basis for his political career.

Judge Engoron’s decision now makes him appear as a cheap fraud and deceiver, and not as a washed-up businessman, as Trump portrays himself in his bestseller “The Art of the Deal.” Judge Engoron does not mince his words when explaining his decision. Trump has equated the value of apartments with a rent cap – widespread in New York – with that of apartments without a rent cap. “This is a fantasy world and not a real world,” the judge said.

As usual, Trump reacts to this decision with anger and insults, speaks of a “witch hunt” and describes the judge as “mentally disturbed”. However, it cannot hide the seriousness of the judge’s decision. Michael Bachner, a leading lawyer, told the Financial Times: “In some ways the judge’s decision is a death sentence for Trump’s business in New York.”

Gradually, the numerous lawsuits are starting to get on the 77-year-old’s nerves. In speeches, Trump confuses the Bush brothers, or during the election campaign he imagines himself as Barack Obama and claims that Joe Biden wants to start World War II. On his social platform Truth Social, he spreads increasingly bizarre conspiracy theories and recently wanted to have Mark Milley, the outgoing commander-in-chief of the US army, summarily shot for alleged treason.

Boasting and bragging are not effective in court. On the contrary, Trump should expect that judges will impose a so-called “gag order” on what he can and cannot say publicly. Above all, the ex-president now finally feels why it is said: the mills of the court grind slowly – but they grind.