Trump credits his “brand” for winning the presidency

New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office on Friday released a months-old video of former President Donald Trump speaking in a deposition for the civl fraud lawsuit filed against him.

During the video, Trump can be heard telling James and her staff that they “don’t have a case” against him, as well as saying his political success can be attributed to his well-known “brand.”

James has accused Trump, his adult sons and The Trump Organization of fraudulently overvaluing their assets to secure more favorable bank loans and taxation deals. The New York attorney general’s lawsuit originally sought $250 million in damages, but James increased this to $370 million, plus interest, in a court filing earlier this month. She argued the new amount reflected new evidence that had come to light during the trial.

The Associated Press reported the seven-hour deposition video—recorded behind closed doors on April 13, 2023—was released by James following requests from media outlets under New York’s Freedom of Information Law. Lawyers for the former president previously included a transcript from the decision in an August trial docket.

During the deposition, Trump estimated his “brand” was worth “maybe $10 billion.”

He then called his “brand” the “most valuable asset I have” before seemingly crediting it for helping him win the White House.

“I became president because of the brand, OK,” Trump said. “I became president. I think it’s the hottest brand in the world.”

Newsweek reached out to a representative for Trump via email for comment on Friday night.

Elsewhere in the video, Trump tells James and her staff that the lawsuit against him has no merit and that the banks he worked with “have no complaints.”

“Do you know the banks made a lot of money?” he said. “And yet you’re suing on behalf of banks, I guess. It’s crazy. The whole case is crazy.”

In another moment, Trump described his rationale for putting The Trump Organization into a trust after he won the 2016 election, saying he wanted to be a “legitimate president.”

He also spoke of the value he added to the position of the presidency, as well as claiming he likely prevented a nuclear war due to his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

“I considered this the most important job in the world, saving millions of lives,” Trump said in the deposition. “I think you would have nuclear holocaust if I didn’t deal with North Korea. I think you would have a nuclear war, if I weren’t elected. And I think you might have a nuclear war now, if you want to know the truth.”

Update 01/19/24, 9:52 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include further information.