Former President Donald Trump has made the surprising decision not to testify in his New York civil fraud trial as initially planned. The trial, which began in early October, centers around allegations made by New York Attorney General Letitia James, accusing Trump of fraudulently inflating his net worth for personal gain. Trump had been expected to take the witness stand on Monday, but just before 3:30 pm, he announced on his social media platform that he had already testified "very successfully and conclusively" and would not be testifying again.

This sudden change of plans has brought an abrupt and anticlimactic end to the defense's case in the trial. Instead of Trump's testimony, the defense is expected to conclude their case with the testimony of Eli Bartov, an accounting professor at New York University. Following this, the attorney general's lawyers will call several rebuttal witnesses. In January, both parties will file final briefs, after which the trial judge, Arthur F. Engoron, will deliver his ruling.

Letitia James has requested that Trump be fined $250 million and permanently barred from running a business in New York. The judge, Engoron, had already concluded before the trial began that Trump had committed fraud by inflating the values of his assets on financial statements. These statements were then shared with banks and insurers to receive favorable treatment.

Throughout the trial, Trump's lawyers have presented a series of witnesses to counter the fraud allegations. Notably, David Williams, a banker at Deutsche Bank, and Rosemary Vrablic, who oversaw loans to Trump, testified that Trump's claims of wealth did not influence their decisions, and that the bank had conducted its own due diligence.

Trump's decision not to testify reflects caution on his legal team's part, as they believe the judge may be biased against him. In his previous testimony on November 6, Trump did not hold back in his confrontations with Judge Engoron and used the opportunity to lash out at his perceived enemies. Two people familiar with Trump's decision stated that his legal advisers were concerned that further testimony would do more harm than good.

Moreover, Trump's son Eric Trump also canceled his scheduled testimony, leaving Donald Trump Jr. as the only family member to appear as a witness for both the attorney general and the defense. The trial is likely to continue with rebuttal witnesses and final arguments in January, followed by the judge's ruling at a later date.