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Outside the courtroom, the former president, 77, told news
reporters that the trial was a "fraud" and a "witch hunt,"
repeating well-worn complaints that he is the victim of
political targeting.
Inside the chamber, he appeared to be in a better mood as he
viewed the work of sketch artists Jane Rosenberg and Isabelle
Brourman.
"I gotta lose some weight," Trump said after viewing Brourman's
portrait, according to the artist.
Trump is not known to lead a particularly healthy lifestyle.
During his 2017-2021 presidency, his doctor encouraged him to
lose up to 15 pounds by eating better and exercising.
He was found to weigh 243 pounds in a 2019 examination, which
put him in the obese range, though his physician Sean Conley
said he was in very good health overall.
In the New York trial, Trump's lawyers are trying to make the
case that his company did not manipulate the value of its
properties to win favorable financing.
The trial, which kicked off in October, is one of several legal
challenges the former president faces as he mounts a comeback
bid for the White House.
The judge overseeing the trial, Arthur Engoron, has already
ruled that Trump and his adult sons manipulated financial
statements to dupe banks and insurers into providing better loan
and insurance terms.
Trump is due to testify on Monday for a second time.
His son, Donald Trump Jr., also has shown an interest in the
courtroom artists' work. He told Rosenberg last month to "make
me look sexy."
(Writing by Andy Sullivan, Editing by Nick Zieminski)
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