Retail banking in california by j. D. Power. Announcer this is cnn Breaking News. Good morning, im john berman with kate bolduan and sara sidner. The major Breaking News this morning, a Courtroom Campaign and a corporation come together in dramatic fashion. Donald trump is about to leave trump tower in manhattan to be present for Opening Statements in a civil trial that could cost him control of much of his Business Empire. Now, as you are watching everything unfold this morning, remember, in a sense this is a Campaign Event. Trump is choosing to be here. He did not have to attend this trial, but he is and he is publicizing it. We will explain why. And the first major ruling we expect in just a few minutes is whether cameras will be allowed in court. This case centers on fraud, accusations of fraud, staggering fraud is how the Attorney General of new york has put it, in a civil lawsuit brought by the new york ag. 250 million lawsuit against donald trump, his eldest sons, their companies and other Trump Organization executives. In the lawsuit the Attorney General accuses trump of falsely inflating his wealth by as much as 3. 6 billion. She says that he engaged in decadeslong fraud, essentially to pump up the value of his businesses to get better Interest Rates and secure better loans. Inflating values when it suited him and also deflating values when it helped him as well. The judge, by the way, has already ruled trump and his adult sons committed fraud, now its about damages the trumps may be forced to pay. Trumps future as a businessman, his real net worth and his real money is on the line. Trump says he is, quote, going to court this morning to quite for his name and reputation, but will he take the stand . He is on the witness list, as well as three of his children. His former fixer there, Michael Cohen, his former cfo, Allen Weisselberg and former accountant. There is intense scrutiny in manhattan right now. We begin with cnns Brynn Gingras who is outside the courthouse in downtown new york city. Brynn, what are you hearing this morning before the case gets going . Reporter listen, guys, there is immense security here, immense press presence. You cant see whats to my left but what is to my left is a podium for new York Attorney general Letitia James. We are expecting her to make some comments before she heads into the courtroom which is going to be an interesting faceoff when trump does arrive and as you just said sit in the courtroom for the Opening Statements for the civil trial as well. Remember she is the one who brought this case against trump, his organization, his adult sons, asking for 250 million and other penalties for falsifying Business Records allegedly for many of his fortune, his mass fortune, his Business Empire. Its going to be an interesting trial because he is also on her list of witnesses. Hes on the defense side as well, but its possible, and we are told hes eager to testify in his own defense, although we dont expect that to happen today. Whats also going to be noteworthy today is the fact that hes going to be in front of this judge. Now, remember, this judge made a huge ruling last week in deciding that he and his sons and trump org are liable for fraud in inflating some of those assets and striking some serious penalties like stripping their Business Certificates as well as saying that they are going to basically pave the road for the fact that they are going to owe the state of new york money. So trump said he wants to be here, he wants to fight for his name and reputation and hes going to see that judge facetoface, and that is key because, remember, this is a bench trial. That judge is going to call the balls and strikes, he is going to decide the penalties, he is going to say how much money will be owed. It is not a jury trial so there is a lot to look out for in these Opening Statements. Again, we are waiting for Letitia James to come here to make some comments and also waiting for trump to arrive as well. Brynn gingras in Lower Manhattan. Great to have you there. Please let us know when and if you see any movements down there. In the meantime, we have our eyes on trump tower in midtown manhattan, about fifth avenue. Donald trump will leave there shortly. He got there last night after a Campaign Event in iowa and as i mentioned before, one way to look at what were about to see is as a continuation of that Campaign Event. Cnns Kristen Holmes outside trump tower. Kristen, explain to us this choice because, again, trump does not have to go this morning. He has chosen to. Why . Reporter thats right, john. Ive talked to a number of his allies and advisers who say that trump has become increasingly agitate bd this particular trial, particularly the valuation of his properties made by the judge who talk about how trump has sold himself as a successful and rich businessman. Its not just his business, its also his brand and its not just his social brand, it is his political brand. Running in 2016 a big part of his argument to voters is i am successful. Look at all of my riches. I can make you rich. I can do all the things for you that ive done for myself. Obviously if he has been inflating that, that is going to conflict directly with the message that he has been sending about the kind of president he would be in the middle of a campaign again for president in 2024. You talk about this being a Campaign Event, it really is. Just moments ago right before we started speaking they blasted out an email attacking Letitia James just like they would a political opponent. We know that they are weaponizing these trials, saying that these are because he is running for office, that these are democrats, that this is Election Interference and its going to be no different with this. I am told that he wanted to have a Show Of Force by showing up today, obviously as he continued to say he is not expected to testify today, but we are told that he has indicated to lawyers he would like to testify. Now, whether or not he will be called, whether or not his lawyers would even allow him to do that, that remains to be seen. He often says that he would like to testify but then ends up not doing so. One post on truth social i want to show you because this is part of this fixation here. He talks at the top here about im going to Court Tomorrow to fight for my name and reputation, but then he goes on to say he, being the judge, values maralago in palm beach, his home 18 million. This particular valuation has driven trump crazy according to many people who have talked to him in recent weeks. He continues to say its not true, that its worth more money. Again, it goes to not just this idea of his business, but his brand as a person and as it relates to him running in 2024. Kristen holmes, thank you so much. She is where we will likely see donald trump first today, he will be leaving trump tower and heading to Lower Manhattan. Trump being back in manhattan and headed to court brings with it a whole host of security challenges. Shimon prokupecz is tracking that outside the Court Building in Lower Manhattan. You were down there six months ago when trump made a similar trip, if you will, to be arrested after his first criminal indictment. What are you seeing there today . Reporter right. And at that time this was a much more secure area, there was a lot more security, remember, it was really his First Criminal Court appearance and he was just it was just a block or so away from here, two blocks or so down this way is where he made that appearance where he went to the District Attorneys Office to surrender. This is now at 60 Center Street, this is the civil court, the civil Supreme Court, and viewers looking at this courthouse may find it familiar because its very famous. Many movies, Law And Order something that has been shot here. What wont happen is that there trump will not be taking the 32 steps up into the courthouse. What we believe is going to happen is hes going to be entering here on the side on pearl street. There is an entrance here, theres secret Service Agents and nypd officers all up and down this street because that is the street we believe hes going to go in. Theres a side door there. When you look around, kate, you can see this is the area where a lot of the antitrump protesters have gathered. We are not seeing a lot of Trump Supporters out here. Were mostly seeing just a few, there arent many, antiTrump Supporters. And then when you look this way you can see more security all along here with nypd and of course all of these barriers that are set up all across this courthouse and this street. Theyve blocked most of the street off to pedestrians, people cant really walk up and down the street. They are still allowing some traffic. But certainly we expect that to change as we get closer to the 10 00 hour when we expect the former president to arrive. Shimon prokupecz, down in Lower Manhattan, keep an eye out there for us. With us is Jessica Roth Former federal prosecutor from the Southern District of new york and elie honig former assistant District Attorney also for the Southern District of attorney, he also happens to be cnns Legal Affairs analyst, also with us Legal Affairs consultant paula reid. Trump does not have to be in the courtroom this morning but legally speaking why would his team want him there or not . So a Couple Reasons that you would want a party present. First of all, you may want to ask questions of your client as a lawyer, as testimony is given, as the judge asks questions, oftentimes you need to lean over and go, is that true . What should we say in response . The other thing is you want your client there generally as a lawyer as a show of respect for the proceedings, as a show of respect for the trier of fact, for the judge. There is not going to be a jury in this case but ordinarily you would want the jury or judge to see the person there to say they care and are invested in this. There will be political calculations but those the strategic reasons you would want your client to be present. Hes had opportunities to show up in the past to show that respect for the process, if you will. Did he not show up to the civil trial that was, again, the civil lawsuit having to do with e. Jean carroll. He did not also show up when Allen Weisselberg was facing his trial over fraud. Yeah. What is different than here . Thats a great question. First of all, important that people understand. This is a civil case. You do have the option as a defendant in a civil case to show up or not show up. When his criminal cases get tried, separate cases, he will not have that option. He has to physically be in those courtrooms. As for here whats different as between the e. Jean carroll and this one, that has to be a political consideration because the legal considerations are really the same. We will see how long he lasts. Thats a long day in court, it can get draining and this is going to be several weeks of trial. It may be that hes there as some show appearance, be there for a day or two or part of the day, but well see. Jessica, this case isnt if donald trump and his sons committed fraud, the judge has already very pointedly said that. So what is at stake here . Is it about damages that he may owe . In large part, yes, it is about damages, what are going to be the penalties that the judge will impose for the persistent fraud that he has already founded. The Attorney General has asked for 250 million in dis kurjment of profits that trump and related entities and children gained as a result of their fraudulent behavior. First and foremost will be the amount of penalties, monetary penalties but there are other penalties that the Attorney General has sought including barring trump and his sons from Holding Certain offices, Corporate Offices in the future in New York State as well as the mechanics of whats going to happen if the businesses are dissolved as the judge has already ordered what does that mean . Will there be a receiver appointed to unwind them, can they be the Beneficial Owners . There are a lot of specifics to address which may be the reason why trump wants to be present. This could be a fastmoving proceeding this morning and being able to consult with his attorneys in realtime may be helpful. Donald trump could lose control over a big part of his business enterprise. In fact, the status quo as things stand right now he has sort of lost control depending on what the judge does over the next few days or few months, correct . Thats absolutely right. The judge has made a determination on liability and hes also said that he intends to essentially revoke the Business Certificate for these business entities. The questions that remain include which business entities, theres so many under the Trump Organization umbrella and what will that mean . Will the properties have to be sold . Will trump tower have to be sold or can someone else essentially a receiver unwind it or hold on to it for them. Theres significant practical consequences still to be worked out. Can you also put in context the fact that Letitia James the Attorney General of new york is seeking 250 million here, just the scope of what he has been accused of in terms of the scope of inflating his wealth. The scope of the fraud that is accused. Thats exactly what makes this very different from the other civil cases weve seen is the scope. The allegation here covers more than a decade worth of conduct and when we talk about in this complaint, in this ruling, the level of inflation, the judge actually says, look, people can differ in how they value a building, there is an element of subjectivity to that. People can differ by 10 , 20 , but here donald trump at certain instances inflated the value by 20 or 25 times the example. The example that jumps out to me is maralago. Assessed by the Palm Beach County board of assessors at roughly 20 million with a little bit of a range. Donald trump claimed in his paperwork it was worth about 500 million. 25 times greater. Thats why the judge in his ruling last week said i find this even before we get to the trial i find that on this one count there is fraud. This is a real existential threat to his business. I need to ask you about what the critics are saying when they look at this case. Who was hurt . You will hear people saying who got hurt in this case . Because it wasnt the insurers, although thats what Letitia James says. They are not plaintiffs in this case. It is brought by the state of new york. So how does this play out if there arent other people in this case who get the money . So thats a really important question. To watch here, donald trump has said not only did no one lose money, the banks didnt lose money, they made money because i repaid these loans with interest. Letitia james response starts out with fraud is fraud, massive fraud is massive fraud. You got way more money than you were entitled to at way better Interest Rates. For the one count that was already decided against donald trump, the plaintiffs, the ag, does not have to show a loss, but for the other counts they may have to show that and that could be a contested issue at trial. Live pictures right now, aerial shots from outside trump tower, there appears some movement there. Donald trump very soon could get into maybe that vehicle. Looks like one of his attorneys right there. He will be headed down to Lower Manhattan to the civil trial which he is choosing to be at. This is a civil trial not a criminal trial. This could cost him money and could cost him control of much of his business legal empire. I want to bring in paula reid who has been watching all of this unfold as well. Paula, whats the view from inside the trump legal world on all of this . I do have to say the judges Sm Ri Judgment on this declare that fraud was committed ten days ago, it seemed to catch the world by surprise. To what extent did it catch the Trump Legal Team by surprise and how they adjusted . Here is donald trum