Trump signals Truth Social windfall won’t be used to post bond in fraud case

Former President Trump on Friday signaled he would not use a potential windfall from the merger involving Truth Social to post bond in a New York fraud judgment ahead of a Monday deadline.

Shareholders of Digital World Acquisition Corp. (DWAC) approved a merger Friday with Truth Social, a media startup owned by Trump, teeing up its stock market debut and a potential $3.5 billion windfall for the former president.

But Trump told Fox News Digital he would not necessarily use the infusion of cash to cover his bond owed in New York.

“That doesn’t mean I’m going to give money to a rogue and incompetent judge — the puppet of a corrupt attorney general who’s failing with violent crime and migrant crime and whose only purpose in life is attempting to get Trump,” Trump told the outlet, referring to Judge Arthur Engoron and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Trump vowed to fight the case “all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.”

“They can’t take away your property before you’ve had a chance to appeal the decision of a Trump-hating, incompetent judge who has been overturned more than any judge in the state,” he said.

Trump has until Monday to secure a half billion-dollar bond or risk the seizure of his assets as he challenges a trial court’s finding that he conspired to alter his net worth for tax and insurance benefits. 

Engoron found Trump liable for fraud last year ahead of a months-long trial that ended with the judge imposing a massive $464 million penalty on the Trump Organization. 

Trump’s lawyers admitted Monday that despite the former president’s “diligent efforts,” it is “impossible” for him to secure a full appeals bond in that amount due to lack of cash on hand.

The former president, however, claimed in a Friday social media post that he had $500 million in cash but did not want to use it for the bond payment.

Former White House ethics head Norm Eisen called Trump’s post “dumb” in a Friday post on X, formerly Twitter, writing “now he can’t claim hardship to get a stay” and “James can help herself, including to this supposed money!”