In a newly released video of his deposition in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ fraud complaint against him and his corporation, former President Donald Trump claimed he saved the earth from a “nuclear holocaust,” boasted about his money, and stated he became president “because of the brand.”
“I was extremely busy…” I regarded this to be the most essential task in the world, as it would save millions of lives. I believe you would have a nuclear holocaust if I did not deal with North Korea. If I were not elected, I believe there would be a nuclear war. And, if you want to know the truth, I believe you might have a nuclear war right now,” Trump remarked during his April 13, 2023 deposition when questioned if he was too busy to run his company while in the White House.
Early in his term, Trump pledged “fire and fury like the world has never seen” if North Korea continued to threaten the US. He later became the first sitting president to visit Korea, where he met with ruler Kim Jong Un for nuclear discussions that eventually failed.
The whole 479-page written transcript of the deposition was disclosed last year, but the AG’s office released snippets of the video of his questions on Friday.
James has accused Trump and the Trump Organization of exaggerating their assets in order to obtain bank loans at rates to which he was not otherwise eligible. Trump contends that the financial documents that the AG claimed were exaggerated were really conservative.
“We didn’t include billions of dollars in brand value,” Trump stated during the deposition. The financial accounts specifically specify that brand value is not included, although the AG’s office confirmed that it was included for some of the properties listed.
“If I wanted to show you a good statement, I would have added maybe $10 billion or something for the brand,” he remarked. “I mean, I got president because of the brand, okay. I became President. “I believe it is the hottest brand in the world.”
Trump also claimed that the financial statements were practically meaningless because the banks already knew him, a point he repeated during his November trial testimony.
Closing arguments in the trial were heard on January 11, and Judge Arthur Engoron is likely to render his decision in the coming weeks. James is seeking a judgment of $370 million, which her agency claims is Trump’s ill-gotten riches from the scam.