Donald Trump appears in a New York court once again in a civil fraud case.

Donald Trump appeared in a New York court on Tuesday for the third week of a civil fraud trial that could destroy the foundations of the former US president's business empire.

Trump, the front-runner in the race for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, arrived after visiting Joba on Monday and after a week-long absence from a lawsuit related to allegations that he inflated his net worth to get more favorable loan terms.

“It's a rigged process.”Trump told reporters outside the courtroom. He was dressed in a dark blue suit and wore an American flag pin on his lapel.

Trump expressed his displeasure with the Biden administration and repeated his assertion that the case was a political witch hunt.

A real estate appraisal expert who was involved in the valuation of Trump's Wall Street properties is scheduled to testify Tuesday, as well as a Trump Organization accountant involved in the company's internal accounting practices.

The lawsuit, filed by Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James, alleges that Trump obtained hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal savings by overstating the value of his real estate assets in documents provided to banks. Trump denies guilt and defends the valuation of his assets, deeming the case a “fraud” and attacking both James and the judge hearing the case.

Trump told reporters outside the courtroom that the real value of his assets, including the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, is “ten times greater” than what James' office claimed.“The actual cost is much higher, so there is no fraud here.”,” he said.

Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen, a key witness in the case, is scheduled to testify next week. Judge Arthur Engoron found in September that Trump committed fraud and ordered the liquidation of companies controlling the most valuable assets in his real estate portfolio, including Trump Tower in Manhattan. That ruling is on hold pending Trump's appeal.

The lawsuit largely involves questions of damages.

Engoron placed a ban on Trump from speaking publicly about court personnel after the former president attacked a court clerk in his Truth Social platform. The ban prohibits Trump from speaking publicly about court personnel. (Reuters)