Donald Trump is facing over half a billion dollars in judgments that are coming due, putting significant financial pressure on the former president.
He owes $454 million from a fraud case and $83 million to E. Jean Carroll for defamation.
His lawyers have warned he may need to quickly sell properties, though sales could incur taxes, and it’s unclear if he can raise the needed cash.
“It is a really substantial problem. He’s really between a rock and a hard place,” criminal defense lawyer Adam Kaufmann said.
Most major banks have cut ties with Trump, making large loans unlikely.
“If Trump is convicted of even a subset of the 91 felony charges lodged against him, the implications for his ability to satisfy the judgment here could be significant. And even prior to a conviction, Trump’s ‘brand’— purportedly his most valuable asset, though not one that can easily be utilized to satisfy a civil judgment — may suffer as a result of the various legal proceedings in which he is enmeshed,” Carroll’s lawyers wrote.
“If he had to sell a property, it’s kind of a tough market, but even if it wasn’t, potential buyers would smell blood in the water and press for some pretty stringent terms,” Kaufmann said.
While he could pursue bond options, the sheer size and uniqueness of the judgments complicates securing the necessary backing.
Legal and financial experts say Trump has limited viable options to satisfy the sums owed as deadlines approach, posing challenges to his reputation as a wealthy businessman and potential 2024 presidential run.
“There are practical issues” to property sales, criminal defense attorney Jeremy Saland said. “That’s a nightmare. How many properties is he going to have to come up with to do that?”
“It’s harder for an individual than a company to secure a very large bond,” ProSure Group co-founder David Shick said.
“It’s unusual but so is the bond size,” he said, adding, “the court will determine what they will and will not accept.”
