The $250 million civil fraud trial against Donald Trump in Manhattan has begun. Before the trial got underway this morning, sharp elbows were being thrown from those involved.

As happens when Donald Trump shows up at a court house or for legal proceedings, cameras follow. He expects it and uses it to his full advantage. The media would like nothing better than to film Trump sitting with a scowl on his face at the defense table, surrounded by his legal team. That is not going to happen. It is against New York state law to have cameras filming in the courtroom during a trial. So, a media request was made to only film the opening and closing statements.

“Audiovisual coverage of counsel’s opening and closing statements will fulfill the Unified Court System’s policy goals ‘to maintain the broadest scope of public access to the courts, to preserve public confidence in the Judiciary, and to foster public understanding of the role of the Judicial Branch in civil society,’” attorney Rober Balin wrote. “This limited request will not disrupt or burden the operations of the Court in any way, while safeguarding the constitutional rights of the public and participants in this proceeding.”

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron ruled against the media coalition’s attorney’s motion.

One interesting thing happened, though, as far as photographs go. Cameras were allowed in the courtroom before the judge began the trial. Cameras captured Trump and his lawyers seated at the defense table, as well as those at the state’s table. It only lasted a short few minutes and then the screen went black. It was reported that the judge was seen taking off his glasses and smiling for the cameras. What do we have here – another Judge Ito? Remember the judge from the O.J. Simpson trial who came to love the media spotlight? That was Judge Ito.

This trial does not have a jury. It is only Justice Engoron who will decide the outcome.

Trump released a message before he entered the court house this morning. It was a plea for donations. His legal representation isn’t cheap, you know.

This will be my last note to you before I walk into the courthouse in Lower Manhattan today for the latest witch hunt spun up by the Radical Democrats.

I’ll be appearing before a judge who HAS ALREADY ISSUED A RULING AGAINST ME!

The Democrats have ripped my civil rights straight from my hands.

And now, they’re trying to DISSOLVE the Trump Organization, bring down the world-famous Trump Tower, and impose the “corporate death penalty” upon me.

Our Founding Fathers would be rolling in their graves if they could see what’s become of our once Free Republic.

It’s the first working day of the month in the final quarter of the year, and Democrats have forced me to stand trial in a frivolous lawsuit rather than be on the campaign trail…

…This is Election Interference never before seen in our country.

But mark my words: this latest witch hunt will FAIL just like every single one before it.

Thanks to support from patriots like you, our movement has not only prevailed, we have emerged stronger than ever before!

Together, we will win back the White House in 2024 and we will Make America Great Again – I have NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.

If you’re doing poorly right now due to the very corrupt people running America, then you can stop reading here. I wrote to you simply to give my top supporters like you an update on my first day of this SHAM trial.

Before the trial got underway, New York Attorney General Letitia James stated, “No one is above the law” and that she was confident “justice will prevail.” This is a civil trial, not a criminal trial and it accuses former President Trump, his company and his two adult sons of misrepresenting his net worth by billions. James, it is important to note, ran on a platform to “get Trump.”

“Today we will prove our other claims,” she said. “My message is simple: No matter how powerful you are, no matter how much money you think you may have, no one is above the law. And it is my responsibility and my duty and my job to enforce it.”

“The law is both powerful and fragile and today in court we’ll prove our case,” the New York attorney general added. “I thank you all for being here and again justice will prevail.”

Before going into the courtroom, Trump stood in the hallway and delivered some remarks. He defended his financial statements and called the trial “a continuation of the single greatest witch hunt of all time.”

Lawyer Kevin Wallace delivered the opening statement for the New York attorney general’s office. Leticia James is in court today.

It is reported that the trial may last until December. Trump is said to be planning to be in the courtroom the first week of the trial.

Everyone knows this is a political persecution, not a prosecution, against Trump. Leticia James wants to knock Trump out of the 2024 presidential election. She also wants to do as much damage as possible to him and his family financially. There is no evidence that anyone was de-frauded, especially as far as the banks involved have claimed. They all say that there’s no harm, no foul here. None of the banks lost any money due to transactions with Trump.

Settle in. This will take a while. It’s the first of four contentious legal battles that will play out before the 2024 presidential election. This battle could have happened two or three years ago or after the presidential election. But, no. James wants it right now in order to do the most damage as possible during the primary season. It will be interesting to see if it backfires. So far, Trump’s legal battles have worked to his advantage in the polls. Voters aren’t stupid. They see this for what it is.