Donald Trump keeps his head down as he makes his way to court for closing arguments in his fraud trial after judge barred him from speaking in his own defense

Closing arguments begin today in Donald Trump’s fraud trial at the New York Supreme Court.

A somber-looking Trump was seen leaving Trump Tower on Thursday morning. He kept his head down and didn’t stop to wave like he normally would.

The case poses a serious threat to Trump’s real estate business and could force him to sell some of his most prized properties, including Trump Tower.

Trump had wanted to deliver the closing arguments himself, but on Wednesday Judge Arthur Engoron banned him from doing so after lawyers disagreed that he should stick to the topic.

Before the trial had even begun on October 2, Judge Engoron ruled that Trump had committed fraud by overvaluing his assets by up to $2.2 billion to get better interest rates on bank loans.

The trial was intended to determine what the punishment should be and the New York State Attorney General is seeking a $370 million fine in the civil case.

Judge Engoron has barred Trump and his family from serving as state executives and ordered the sale of some of his most famous buildings.

But the ruling has been put on hold until he makes his final ruling on the sentence, which is expected in a few weeks.

Dozens of witnesses were heard during the trial, including Trump himself, his sons Don Jr. and Eric and his daughter Ivanka, who challenged a subpoena that forced her to testify.

One of the properties whose value was reportedly inflated was Trump’s Triplex apartment atop Trump Tower in Manhattan.

That went from $200 million to $327 million, Wallace said. For years, Trump claimed it was 30,000 square feet, but in reality it was just 10,000 square feet, a change that tripled its value, the court heard.

The purpose of the fraud was to obtain better interest rates, saving Trump “tens of millions of dollars” annually, Wallace said.

During the trial, Judge Engoron imposed a silence order on Trump to stop talking about his law clerk after the former president baselessly suggested she would have a child with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat.

But the judge did not ban Trump from making remarks just outside the courtroom, which he did several times a day on the days he was present.

Trump’s appearances turned the case into a spectacle with the streets outside closed and those in the court having to pass through two sets of security to enter the courtroom.

Despite all the theatrics, Judge Engoron has stated that the case is about the documents, and that they are not in Trump’s favor.

In a ruling this week, he rejected Trump’s latest request for a directed verdict, or to dismiss the case, calling Trump’s claims “falsehoods at best and fraud at worst.”

Engoron wrote: ‘Valuations, as explained ad nauseum in this trial, can be based on different criteria analyzed in different ways. But a lie is still a lie’.