this post was submitted on 02 Oct 2023
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Donald Trump's court battle over claims he inflated his property values by $2.2 billion doesn't seem to have deflated anyone's appetite.

A large order of McDonald's was lugged into the Manhattan court on Monday during the lunch break in Trump's $250 million civil fraud trial.

Staff in dark suits were spotted carrying the brown paper bags into the Centre Street complex after the former president listened to prosecutors accuse him of decades of 'lies' over his business empire.

It's not clear who ordered the haul of fast food, but Trump is known to enjoy an occasional meal from the Golden Arches.

His favorite meal is a Big Mac, Filet-O-Fish, fries and a vanilla shake.

Earlier this year, he told the workers he knew the menu better than they did during a visit to a McDonald's in East Palestine, Ohio.

He then gave burgers to members of the community devastated by a toxic train derailment.

One of his most famous White House events was when he gave the National Championship-winning Clemson University football team an order from his favorite fast food venue.

The court food order followed a dramatic morning session where Trump's lawyers said he was actually worth more than amounts prosecutors claim were fraudulent.

Trump's team also said Mar-a-Lago - which prosecutors said should be valued at as little as $18 million - is actually worth more than $ 1 billion.

In a combative defense opening statement Trump lawyer Alina Habba said: 'There is a person out there who will buy that (Mar-A-Lago) for over $1 billion. That’s not fraud, that’s real estate.'

Earlier, Trump, 77, scowled and shook his head as prosecutors accused him of 'lying year after year' to exaggerate the value of his property empire by $2.2 billion to obtain favorable bank loans.

In extraordinary scenes inside New York Supreme Court the judge Arthur Engoron grinned for TV cameras as Trump sat looking sternly on, at one point muttering under his breath.

Habba told the court the amount prosecutors claimed was fraudulent was 'frankly less than what they (the Trump family) are worth’.

She said the true value of Trump’s net worth would include his personal brand from shows like The Apprentice.

'There’s a lot of people in this room that probably don’t like that but it’s a fact,' she said.

Habba claimed Trump’s Florida golf course Doral was also worth over $1 billion, sparking laughter in the public gallery.

She said it was ‘one of the best golf courses in the country’, and praised the Trump Organization as a ‘beautiful company’. She added: ‘Real estate is malleable but there was absolutely no intent to defraud, no conspiracy’.

The case set a ‘very dangerous precedent for all business owners in the state of New York,’ she said.

Just before entering the courtroom a combative Trump delivered an explosive tirade in which he railed against the 'rogue' judge and 'racist horror show' attorney general Letitia James, who brought the case.

Trump could face up to $250 million in fines and the potential loss of his licenses for buildings including Trump Tower in New York.

'This is a continuation of the single greatest witch hunt of all time,' Trump said before going into court. 'It's a scam. It's a sham. There was no crime. The crime is against me.'

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[–] Evilcoleslaw@lemmy.world 100 points 1 year ago (5 children)

His favorite meal is a Big Mac, Filet-O-Fish, fries and a vanilla shake.

Friendly reminder that when he was booked in Atlanta they listed his weight at 215lbs.

[–] DarkGamer@kbin.social 39 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

He's 6'3", I would have assumed he was much heavier than that. He must have zero muscle mass to be that wide at that weight.

Trump’s booking record declared the former president’s height to be 6-foot-3 and his weight 215 pounds — nearly 30 pounds lighter than his disclosed weight at the time of his last official White House physical. source

Or perhaps the stress of looming inevitability is causing him to rapidly lose weight?

[–] cybervseas@lemmy.world 39 points 1 year ago (1 children)

No the cops just wanted to be nice to him because they all love him.

[–] cmbabul@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes but he could also have very little muscle mass, dude thinks working out shortens your life because you only have a finite amount of energy to spend before you die

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[–] dditty@lemm.ee 19 points 1 year ago

They didn't weigh him at all, that's the lie his pr team put out for him. Your gut was right trump is fat as shit he's probably like 280

[–] KevonLooney@lemm.ee 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Dude is shorter than Obama. He's 6 ft at most and fat af.

[–] DrBob@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 year ago

Bill Barr is 5'9". Trump wears when 4 inch heels he's on stage.

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[–] athos77@kbin.social 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

But they also admitted that they just took his word for it.

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[–] Son_of_dad@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm not nearly as portly as him, I'm 5'10" 200lbs. There's absolutely no way he's 215

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[–] Godric@lemmy.world 42 points 1 year ago (8 children)

Who the fuck cares, how is this news 😂

[–] logicbomb@lemmy.world 54 points 1 year ago (3 children)

If you read the entire article, it's pretty clear that this is a fluff piece for Trump.

They order McDonalds to give an excuse for the story, then The Daily Mail can just repeat Trump's propaganda. For example, they talk about how Trump served McDonalds at the WH, but not about how poorly that went over.

They say that "the prosecutor" is saying that Mar-a-Lago is worth only $18 million, but those are numbers that came from Trump's tax filings when he was defrauding the government to pay less in taxes. Those numbers came from Trump.

They quote Trump and his lawyers over and over, but don't bother posting quotes from people critical to Trump.

So no, this is not news. It's propaganda.

[–] Godric@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

Thank you, I refused to click it on principle.

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[–] SatanicNotMessianic@lemmy.ml 21 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

This is news because one of the single biggest con men in American - perhaps world - history is trying to get away with crimes that are fully in the public record, and half of the political might of the country is willing to go along with it and shield him from repercussions because he’s a populist autocrat without whom they cannot win.

[–] Steeve@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 year ago

What the fuck does that have to do with his weird lunch order lol

[–] Godric@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

Maybe run that story instead instead of this moronic swill, this is right up there with Tswift attending a sports game in terms of newsworthiness

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[–] TechyDad@lemmy.world 42 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I'm watching my calories (need to drop a few pounds) and my first thought was: Do you know how many calories are in a Big Mac, Filet-of-Fish, fries, and a milkshake?!!!

Of course, I had to figure it out. Assuming a small fries and small milkshake (and let's be honest, be probably gets the biggest ones not the smallest), it would be 1,652 calories. The average person should eat 2,200 to 3,200 calories a day. So this lunch would be Trump eating 52% to 75% of his daily calories in one meal.

[–] kmartburrito@lemmy.world 36 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

That's why homie has a dump truck of an ass

Edit - hilarious , I thought I should cite my claim, and found this jewel, I legit made my statement before finding this page

[–] comedy@kbin.social 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That article is juvenile, but funny af

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[–] DarkGamer@kbin.social 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Trump seems to abuse stimulants that would presumably up his calories burned. The crew from The Apprentice claimed he snorted Adderall, and he seemed to be cranked up on something during a few of his debates.

[–] Conyak@lemmy.tf 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That is why trump is fat. Does anyone think he is actually in good shape?

[–] TechyDad@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

Given how he eats and how he thinks that exercise "depletes your battery" and is thus actually bad for you, it's no surprise that he's so heavy.

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[–] plz1@lemmy.world 42 points 1 year ago (10 children)

"They got McDonald's for lunch" is a fucking newsworthy event? FFS

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[–] Rapidcreek@reddthat.com 32 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Nyc One of the greatest places in the world to get lunch. Every type of cuisine in the world. Chinese, japanese, italian, indian, jewish deli, He coulda gotten a pastrami sandwich from katz’s, a slice of margerita from lombardi’s The eggplant parm from parm, anything from eataly Moo shu from shun lee dynasty, the curry from brick lane, Dumplings from mr dumpling, pierogies from veselka, Sushi from nobu

But no He ordered from mcdonalds. He should be indicted for THAT.

[–] Borkingheck@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago (7 children)

Stop gate keeping food bruh

[–] SwampYankee@mander.xyz 5 points 1 year ago

Is McDonald's food?

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[–] adaveinthelife@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 year ago (3 children)

It at the very least plays to his base, who likely have a McDonald's in town. Where as the curry from brick Lane likely wouldn't sit well with his followers, let alone his own digestive system.

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[–] nyoooom@lemmy.world 26 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Wtf are those glasses lmao

[–] vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 18 points 1 year ago

They look like something you loot off of a random NPC in Cyberpunk 2077.

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[–] akai@kbin.social 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] EdibleFriend@lemmy.world 23 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Fraud makes you crave hamburders

[–] jarfil@lemmy.world 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

In a combative defense opening statement Trump lawyer Alina Habba said: 'There is a person out there who will buy that (Mar-A-Lago) for over $1 billion. That’s not fraud, that’s real estate.'

So... fraud.

[–] SwampYankee@mander.xyz 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

There is a person out there who will buy Mar-A-Lago for over $1 billion. That person is an Eastern European national involved in the international human trafficking of Eastern European teenage girls under the guise of "modeling" who's massively overpaying in order to launder money.

[–] scytale@lemm.ee 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The IRS should take notes everytime his lawyers exaggerate his net worth, then bill him for the appropriate amount of taxes.

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[–] fne8w2ah@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago

Another hamberders and covfefe order?

Left or right aside here, it’s laughable that these people can commit fraud of the highest order but god forbid someone steals a sandwich and catches a charge.

Or tries to pass off a fake note and gets murdered.

Or any number of tangible examples.

[–] Yewb@kbin.social 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

"Look he is just like me and eats McDonald's!"

Seems like a pr stunt

[–] betwixthewires@lemmy.basedcount.com 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Except I think the dude actually likes it.

[–] vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Remember the mcfeast at the whitehouse. Fuck mcdonalds aint even the cheap fast food anymore, atleast get a some taco bell or something.

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[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My god, his poor colon. I know he's horrible, but what did his colon do to deserve this sort of torture?

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[–] VikingHippie@lemmy.wtf 5 points 1 year ago

How ridiculous is Trump?

He's "fascist being dunked on by the world's #1 fascist fan zine, The Daily Mail" ridiculous! 😲

[–] Blapoo@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I feel like this may be one of the most critical points in Trump's story.

If they rule he was undervaluing his brand, it will will amount to: "Nah bruh. You ain't worth shit"

Flip it: If he's able to do the business thing and convince them he's that valuable. . . He kind of confirms it.

Either way, we'll get some kind of answer to a fun question: Exactly how valuable is Trump?

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

It's a catch 22.

If he somehow wins this, then it means his worth is what he said on loans, and proves he under paid taxes.

But losing this isn't an automatic win on his taxes, because in all likelihood he lied on both.

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