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Donald Trump will not be delivering a closing statement in his civil fraud trial in New York. Trump's lawyers asked for permission to have Trump speak during their closing statement, and Judge Arthur Engoron granted him permission to do so on Monday (January 8).
However, his approval came with caveats, and he asked Trump's legal team to ensure that their client would remain on the topic while he spoke.
On Wednesday, Engoron rescinded permission for Trump to speak for failing to respond to his request about keeping the closing arguments to "relevant" facts about the case.
During Trump's testimony earlier in the trial, he was scolded by Engoron for going off on tangents and refusing to answer questions from the prosecutor. Trump was scheduled to take the stand as a defense witness but abruptly changed his mind at the last minute.
Engoron said he plans to issue a written verdict on the case before the end of the month. Trump could face hundreds of millions in fines and be barred from doing business in New York.