Business
Trump’s Decades of Testimony Reveal Some Details About His Real Estate Empire’s Defence.
NEW YORK — Donald Trump has testified in court about his experiences as a football owner, casino constructor, and airline buyer. In a deposition, he boasted that as president, he saved “millions of lives” by delaying nuclear war. Another time, he was concerned about the dangers of throwing fruit.
Trump’s been conditioned by decades of trials and legal wranglings, and he is now prepared to resume his role as a witness under exceptional circumstances: as a former Republican president battling to salvage the real estate enterprise that catapulted him to celebrity and the White House.
Trump is scheduled to testify in his New York civil fraud trial on Monday, a profoundly personal subject that is essential to his image as a successful businessman and threatens to cost him ownership of major buildings such as Trump Tower. His evidence in the trial of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit comes on the heels of that of his eldest sons, Trump Organisation executives Eric and Donald Trump Jr., who testified last week. Ivanka, his eldest daughter, is scheduled to testify on Wednesday.
A state counsel teased the former president’s presence as the court adjourned on Friday. When the judge asked who would testify on Monday, Andrew Amer said, “The only witness will be Donald J. Trump.”
According to an Associated Press assessment of court documents and news coverage, Trump has testified in at least eight trials since 1986. He has also testified under oath in over a dozen depositions and regulatory hearings.
Trump’s Decades Of Testimony Reveal Some Details About How He Plans To Defend His Real Estate Empire.
As owner of the USFL’s New Jersey Generals, he was invited to appear before Congress in 1985, and he testified on behalf of lawyer and friend Roy Cohn during a state disciplinary inquiry that resulted in Cohn’s disbarment. In an early display of his fiery persona, Trump informed the New Jersey gaming board in 1986 that plans for highway overpasses near one of his casinos “would be a disaster.” It would be a disaster.”
Those testimonies, documented in thousands of pages of transcripts and on videotape in certain cases, provide insight into Trump’s likely approach when he testifies in Manhattan.
They draw significant parallels between Trump as a witness and Trump as a former president and current presidential contender. His rhetorical technique in court has echoes of his political zeal: a blend of ego, charm, defensiveness, aggression, cutting language, and evasion. He has been belligerent and bombastic, but he has also been evasive and contemptuous at times.
Trump blasted charges that he had spied on NFL officials at one of his hotels while testifying in the USFL’s antitrust case against the NFL in 1986, calling the claim “such a false interpretation it’s disgusting.”
During a break in his evidence at a federal court hearing in Washington in 1988, as he sought to purchase Eastern Air Lines’ Northeast shuttle service, Trump turned on the charisma, flashing a big smile at the judge’s female law clerks and shaking hands with the bailiff. Trump said that his $365 million acquisition, which was later approved, would provide a “major boost in morale” to staff.
Trump touted a Mike Tyson fight he planned for one of his casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on the stand in a boxing-related matter in 1990 as “one of the greatest rematches you could have.” When accused by two men of excluding them from a riverboat gambling project, Trump claimed ignorance, saying in 1999: “I was shocked by the whole case.” I have no notion who these individuals were.”
Last month, Trump was briefly summoned to the stand in the New York case to clarify comments he made outside of court that the judge ruled breached a limited gag order.
He last testified in court in 2013, two years before launching his successful presidential campaign. An 87-year-old suburban Chicago widower had sued him over contract revisions for a hotel and condominium project in which she had purchased units as an investment. Trump became increasingly upset during his statement, lifting his arms and yelling, “And then she sued me.” It’s incredible!”
On behalf of the plaintiff, Jacqueline Goldberg, Chicago lawyer Shelly Kulwin cross-examined Trump. He claimed that Trump’s testimony inside the federal courthouse in Chicago mirrored the bruising ebb and flow witnessed later at campaign rallies and on television.
“At first, he was calm, but then he became argumentative, defensive, off-topic, and speechmaking.” “That’s exactly what he does now,” Kulwin explained in an interview.
Trump’s Decades Of Testimony Reveal Some Details About How He Plans To Defend His Real Estate Empire.
“Based on my experience with him, you better be able to have super tight questions, with documents to support them, so that he cannot wiggle around,” she said. “Before he took the stand, I would approach the judge and tell him, ‘Mr. Trump, this is not a political campaign.'” You’re not attempting to get their support. ‘This is a legal action.'”
Goldberg lost to Trump, but she didn’t regret suing him, saying, “Somebody had to stand up to him.” She passed away in August at the age of 97.
Trump has spent seven days in New York, carefully scrutinizing testimony from the defense table but simultaneously lashing out in front of TV cameras in the corridor at the case, the judge, and state lawyers. He has termed the case a “sham,” “scam,” and “a continuation of the single greatest witch hunt of all time.”
In his social media comments about the case, he reveals the trial’s “Perry Mason” moments — testimony and arguments he believes have aided his side — as he pays homage to the classic TV courtroom drama.
Trump testified in a losing case in 1990 regarding his company’s failure to make pension contributions on behalf of around 200 undocumented Polish workers hired to demolish a structure to make space for Trump Tower. A year later, he was again in court in Manhattan, this time testifying against a man who claimed he had a contract to create Trump’s board game and was promised 25% of the earnings from “Trump: The Game.”
Trump’s Decades Of Testimony Reveal Some Details About How He Plans To Defend His Real Estate Empire.
Trump won that lawsuit, as well as another in 2005, in which he claimed that a construction business “fleeced” him by overcharging him by $1.5 million for work at a golf club in New York’s Westchester County.
Trump’s current New York trial depends partly on how much he and other Trump Organisation executives were involved in assessing his properties and calculating his wealth for the annual financial statements sent to banks, insurers, and others to negotiate agreements and secure funding.
The assertions, according to James, boosted Trump’s net worth by billions of dollars, making him look to lenders as a more creditworthy risk and allowing him to secure lower interest and insurance rates. Trump has repeatedly denied any misconduct.
Eric and Donald Trump Jr. said they relied on an outside accounting firm and the Trump Organization’s financial team to compile the statements, which they felt were correct.
In an April deposition, Trump stated that he never thought his financial records “would be taken very seriously” and that a disclaimer advised individuals doing business with him to conduct their research.
He asserted that the banks James claims were taken advantage of with exorbitant values, suffered no harm, were paid in his transactions, and “to this day have no complaints.” Trump called the lawsuit “terrible,” telling James and her team that “you don’t have a case.”
The judge ruled that the remarks were false before the trial. He started transferring control of some Trump firms to a court-appointed receiver. For the time being, an appeals court has put that on hold.
The non-jury trial is already in its second month and involves accusations of conspiracy, insurance fraud, and fabricating corporate records. James is seeking $250 million in penalties and a prohibition on the defendants doing business in New York in his lawsuit against Trump, his firm, and key officials, including his eldest sons.
Trump’s Decades Of Testimony Reveal Some Details About How He Plans To Defend His Real Estate Empire.
When questioned about his commercial and financial transactions in the past, Trump has occasionally evaded accountability and culpability. In a 2013 deposition on a failed Florida condominium project, Trump blamed an employee for paperwork indicating that he was building a property when he was not.
“I have a woman that does it,” he explained. He then began dissecting the problematic language, stating, “But you know, developing, the word develop, it can be used in a lot of different contexts.”
Another recurring theme in Trump’s depositions is his surprise that he is being taken seriously for puffing up his real estate projects.
“You always want to put the best possible spin on a property that you can,” Trump stated in a December 2007 deposition in his lawsuit against a journalist he accused of underestimating Trump’s riches. “No different than any other real estate developer, no different than any other businessman, no different than any politician.”
Trump’s propensity for hyperbole will undoubtedly come up on Monday. He and his company are accused of inflating his property valuations and maximizing the outcomes using several tactics. He even described his Trump Tower penthouse in Manhattan as three times its true size for years. He now says that his financial statements understated his fortune and that his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, is worth more than $1 billion.
Trump’s Decades Of Testimony Reveal Some Details About How He Plans To Defend His Real Estate Empire.
Trump is characterizing the civil fraud case and his four criminal proceedings as manifestations of political persecution aimed at impeding his candidature as the Republican front-runner for president in 2024. He has already mentioned his political standing in court, including during a 2016 deposition when he mentioned, unprompted, how he had defeated his Republican primary opponents.
“I have credibility because, as it turns out, I am now the Republican nominee running against a total of 17 people, mostly senators and governors, who are highly respected people.” it’s not like I’ve said something that could be that horrible,” he explained.
Trump defined the president as the “most important job in the world” in his April deposition before boasting about saving lives by preventing North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un from launching a nuclear assault.
Trump waxed poetic about weapons of a different kind in an October 2021 deposition, warning of the risks posed by tomatoes and other fruit, which he worried might be thrown at him on the campaign trail.
“You get hit with fruit it’s — no, it’s very violent stuff,” he went on to say. Trump was testifying in connection with a complaint filed by a group of demonstrators who claimed Trump’s private security guards assaulted them while he was campaigning in 2015.
Trump was asked about a speech in which he urged the audience, “If you see someone about to throw a tomato, just knock the crap out of them, would you?”
“It was said rather jokingly. “Perhaps a little truth to it,” Trump remarked of his statements.
“This is an extremely hazardous material.” “Those things can kill you,” he said. “I wanted people to be prepared because we had been warned that they would do fruit.” And certain fruits are far worse than others — tomatoes, for example. But it’s quite risky.”
SOURCE – (AP)
Business
McDonalds Burger Empire Set For Unprecedented Growth Over The Next 4 Years With 10,000 New Stores
McDonald’s aims to open roughly 10,000 outlets over the next four years, an unprecedented expansion rate even for the world’s largest burger business.
In an investor report on Wednesday, the Chicago burger behemoth expects to have 50,000 outlets open globally by the end of 2027. McDonalds had 40,275 locations at the beginning of this year.
It intends to open 900 new stores in the United States and 1,900 in some of its more important international markets, including Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The company intends to have an additional 7,000 outlets in other international markets, with more than half of those in China.
Manu Steijaert, McDonald’s chief customer officer, stated that it took the corporation 33 years to open its first 10,000 outlets and 18 years to develop from 30,000 to 40,000. However, the corporation feels its footprint needs to be improved to meet demand, particularly in faster-growing parts of the United States.
McDonald’s Burger Empire Set For Unprecedented Growth Over The Next 4 Years With 10,000 New Stores
The company also stated that the increasing development of delivery demand necessitates bringing restaurant locations closer to clients to provide speedier delivery times. In 2017, McDonald’s delivery generated $1 billion in global sales, which has since increased to more than $16 billion.
“No matter how the customer chooses to order, out ability to serve them relies on our locations,” he stated.
McDonald’s stock was unchanged on Wednesday.
The company also announced a relationship with Google Cloud on Wednesday, claiming that it will help expedite automated services and minimize complexity for its staff.
McDonald’s Burger Empire Set For Unprecedented Growth Over The Next 4 Years With 10,000 New Stores
McDonald’s same-store sales increased over 9% globally in the third quarter despite a modest drop in traffic in the United States.
The corporation is focused on basic menu items such as Quarter Pounders and fries, which account for 65% of systemwide sales, according to McDonalds.
Burgers with softer, freshly toasted buns, meltier cheese, and more Big Mac sauce will be available in the United States by the end of 2024 and in most other markets by the end of 2025. McDonald’s claims that chicken sales are now on a level with beef and that the McCrispy sandwich will be available in nearly all worldwide markets by 2025.
McDonalds Burger Empire Set For Unprecedented Growth Over The Next 4 Years With 10,000 New Stores
McDonalds is a global fast food restaurant chain known for its hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and french fries. The company was founded in 1940 and has since grown to become one of the largest and most recognizable fast food brands in the world.
With a widespread presence in over 100 countries, McDonalds offers a diverse menu that includes items such as chicken sandwiches, salads, and breakfast options.
he company is also known for its iconic golden arches logo and its commitment to providing quick and convenient service to its customers.
SOURCE – (AP)
Business
Woman Who Assaulted Chipotle Worker Sentenced To Fast Food Job For Two Months
An Ohio woman who was convicted of assault after tossing a burrito bowl at a Chipotle employee was offered an unusual method to shorten her sentence.
Rosemary Hayne, 39, has been ordered by a judge to work in a fast-food restaurant for two months.
In a viral video, Hayne can be seen yelling at a Chipotle employee before throwing her meal in his face.
She was first sentenced to pay a fine and serve 180 days in jail, with 90 days suspended.
But then the judge had another thought.
“You didn’t get your burrito bowl the way you like it, and this is how you respond?” Judge Timothy Gilligan in Parma, Ohio sentenced Hayne.
Woman Who Assaulted Chipotle Worker Sentenced To Fast Food Job For Two Months
“This isn’t the ‘Real Housewives of Parma.'” “This is not acceptable behavior,” he declared, according to local Fox affiliate WJW.
Mr Gilligan told Hayne she could avoid 60 days in jail if she agreed to work at least 20 hours per week for two months at a fast-food business.
Hayne agreed.
On September 5, a bystander recorded the incident and posted it to Reddit, where it quickly went viral.
In court, Hayne apologized and attempted to explain why she screamed at the Chipotle employee, Emily Russell, 26.
“If I showed you how my food looked and how my food looked a week later from that same restaurant, it’s disgusting looking,” Hayne said in an interview with WJW.
“I bet you won’t be happy with the food you’ll get in jail,” Mr Gilligan said.
Emily Russell said in court that the incident had traumatized her and that she had since quit her work at Chipotle.
Woman Who Assaulted Chipotle Worker Sentenced To Fast Food Job For Two Months
She told the Washington Post that she was intervening to defend a 17-year-old employee being shouted at by Hayne. She complained that the dish was too hot and burned her face.
“I was so embarrassed and in shock,” she admitted to the publication. “I couldn’t believe my customers had to witness that.”
As of Tuesday morning, a GoFundMe effort for Ms Russell had raised $7,200 (£5,700).
Chipotle is a popular fast-casual restaurant chain known for its Mexican-inspired menu and customizable options.
Woman Who Assaulted Chipotle Worker Sentenced To Fast Food Job For Two Months
The restaurant offers a variety of burritos, bowls, tacos, and salads, allowing customers to choose from different proteins, toppings, and salsas.
Chipotle is also recognized for its commitment to using high-quality, sustainably sourced ingredients. With over 2,800 locations across the United States, Canada, and Europe, Chipotle has established a strong presence in the fast-food industry.
SOURCE – (BBC)
Business
Tesla’s Cybertruck Hits The Market With A Higher Price Tag And Plenty Of Challenges
Tesla CEO Elon Musk presided over the company’s long-awaited Cybertruck delivery, which was first shown four years ago. While there was little new information since the original presentation, Tesla’s website was updated with a new price.
The event had the typical Musk flash, with lofty predictions about “the future” and visuals of Cybertrucks traveling across the ice, but it offered very little new information. Even the price on Tesla’s website, which required a $250 deposit to place an order, did not contain standard car-buying experiences, such as selecting options. There was no mention of practicalities like front trunk capacity or anything beyond the company’s current estimate of a 250-mile range.
However, the website did mention that the top-of-the-line model would be known as the “Cyberbeast.”
The Tesla Cybertruck starts at $60,990 before federal tax credits, over $20,000 more than the base model initially proposed at the vehicle’s introduction in 2019. The business originally stated that the Cybertruck would cost less than $40,000, but a pandemic and subsequent severe inflation prompted the corporation to change its mind.
Even then, it would only be “available in 2025,” according to the Tesla website.
If you want one in 2024, expect to pay about $80,000.
By itself, the Cybertruck enters an electric vehicle market packed with vehicles in the same price range. It’s not only pickups but also SUVs. It’s an issue that’s already dampening sales of some electric vehicles, particularly in the luxury market, as automakers struggle to establish their electric production processes.
He also bragged about the Cybertruck’s “sports-car-like” capability, showing a video of it hauling a Porsche 911 on a trailer while racing a Porsche 911 down a drag strip. Honestly, Porsche 911 sports cars aren’t sold on raw acceleration. Of course, neither is a pickup truck, so it’s unclear how big of a selling point that will be.
Tesla’s Cybertruck Hits The Market With A Higher Price Tag And Plenty Of Challenges
However, Tesla’s website only shows that acceleration figure for the Cyberbeast version of the truck, which costs over $100,000. The truck’s 11,000-pound towing capacity also noted in the presentation, is shown exclusively in the $80,000 or $100,000 all-wheel-drive variants.
According to Brian Moody, executive editor of Kelley Blue Book, the truck’s price range may be fine compared to other high-end trucks on the market. The pricing range that Tesla can provide is limited.
“Because Tesla has basically one version of the truck with some minor modifications, they don’t have the advantage of having a very low-price truck as well as a very high and heavy-duty, super-capable truck,” Moody wrote in an e-mail.
According to Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives, who is bullish on Tesla, the business has around 2 million bookings for the Cybertruck. He predicted that just 30% to 40% of those reservations would be turned into sales. The larger issue may be the production issues that Musk says the firm is experiencing as it attempts to ramp up vehicle manufacturing, especially with competition from electric pickups from Ford, GM, and Rivian.
“It’s a Herculean task to ramp production, but Tesla has been here before,” he said, referring to prior product launches such as the Model 3 sedan. However, he warned that “it’s a much more complex market for them to navigate.”
The Cybertruck, which resembled a high-end kitchen appliance when it was initially shown in 2019, looked like nothing else on the road, and it still does. The purpose of its strange, angular all-metal appearance was to stand out: Musk sought to make a statement with something that wasn’t just another large truck.
However, the Cybertruck’s qualities, such as power and range, do not stand out. The market has transformed during Tesla’s development and delays over the last four years. Even before the first one rolls into a customer’s driveway, Tesla’s flashy new pickup is significantly more ordinary beneath its gleaming veneer.
Electric motors can give a lot of towing and hauling power, and the truck’s basic size allows for many batteries and a long range. Tesla is one of many automakers to recognize this opportunity.
Even then, it would only be “available in 2025,” according to the Tesla website.
Ford began selling the F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck four years ago, and Rivian R1T pickups have become familiar sights on American roadways. General Motors just began manufacture of the Chevrolet Silverado EV electric truck. Stellantis’ Ram 1500 Rev electric vehicle will also be available in late 2024.
This isn’t the same setting as it was four years ago, and the Cybertruck’s capabilities don’t look as impressive as they did. Many of these other trucks have capabilities that rival, and in some cases even outperform, Tesla’s.
Musk has also frequently stated how tough it is to construct the Cybertruck due to its unconventional design.
The truck is built of unpainted stainless steel, a material not commonly utilized for cars since the durability of the material that Musk has touted makes it difficult to build with and fix. The massive stamping machines commonly employed in auto manufacturing to quickly bend metal into shape struggle with stainless steel.
It also features a unibody construction rather than a separate body and chassis like most large pickups. Unibody structure is common in crossover SUVs and compact, light pickups such as the Ford Maverick. Body-on-frame designs are commonly used for heavy-duty vehicles due to their strength and flexibility for towing huge loads.
“There will be enormous challenges in reaching volume production with the Cybertuck and making the Cybertruck cash flow positive,” Musk remarked recently during an investor call.
Musk has also frequently stated how tough it is to construct the Cybertruck due to its unconventional design.
The Cybertruck’s total size could be an advantage. According to Tesla, the Cybertruck is less than 19 feet long, slightly shorter than conventional full-size trucks. However, Tesla boasts that its cargo bed, at over six feet long, is slightly longer than typical.
However, the Cybertruck may forego front storage in exchange for its small body length. It lacks the extended hood of other pickups, notably electric pickups from Ford and GM. This could imply that the Tesla has less “frunk” – or front trunk – space. Ample functional front room, in particular, has been a major selling factor for the Ford truck.
The wedge shape of the vehicle, where the sides of the cargo bed meet the roof, may also make access to the bed from the sides difficult. Pickup drivers frequently reach over the sides to load and unload objects close to the cab.
The payload capacity of the Cybertruck, or the amount of weight it can carry in its cargo bed, is also slightly higher than competitors currently in production. The Ford F-150 Lightning can tow up to 2,200 pounds. However, the Ram 1500 Rev will be able to haul up to 2,700 pounds, which is more than the Cybertruck.
SOURCE – (BBC)
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