Trump Fraud Civil case in New York has Donald Trump admitting he cooked the books?

The financial statements by the Trump Organization — which a judge has already decided were filled with fraud — are a central element of the suit by New York’s attorney general, Letitia James. She has alleged Mr. Trump and other defendants manipulated the statements to defraud banks and insurers.

The judge in the case, Arthur F. Engoron, repeatedly sought to rein in Mr. Trump, whose asides included proclaiming the proceeding as “a very unfair trial,” calling Ms. James “a political hack,” and an impassioned ode to his Scottish golf course.

“Irrelevant, irrelevant. Answer the question,” the judge said after Mr. Trump said the course was in the oil capital of Europe.

Later, Mr. Trump complained that the judge had “called me a fraud and he didn’t know anything about me.” Justice Engoron then suggested that Mr. Trump hadn’t read the order where he found him liable for fraud.

While Mr. Trump’s testimony appeared to undercut efforts to distance himself from the valuing of properties, he also testified at times that he did not intervene, including on the value of his Mar-a-Lago club, which he said was “very underestimated, but I didn’t do anything about it.”

Mr. Trump also sought to minimize the importance of the financial statements, saying that the bankers he used paid very little attention to them — and promised that the defense would bring in those bankers to say as much.

Here’s what else to know:

• Mr. Trump’s lawyers have already appealed Justice Engoron’s ruling that the statements contained fraud, arguing that valuations are subjective and were in part the responsibility of others. What is left to be determined is any penalty Mr. Trump might have to pay and whether he will be banished from the world of New York real estate that made him famous.

• Justice Engoron chided Mr. Trump several times, asking him to keep his remarks short and at one point striking part of one monologue from the record. “This is not a political rally,” he told the former president.

• Last week, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump testified, and both sought to blame accountants for any errors on financial statements at the heart of the case. Their sister Ivanka is scheduled to testify Wednesday.

• The case differs from other legal challenges facing the former president. It is a civil case, not criminal. There is no jury; the judge will determine the outcome. And although Mr. Trump and his sons could have asserted their Fifth Amendment rights against answering questions, doing so would have been risky: In a civil case, a jury or judge is allowed to make a negative assumption when a defendant declines to testify. Read about the differences.

• Since the trial began Oct. 2, the former president has been a fixture in and around the courtroom — including making statements that Justice Engoron said violated a gag order barring Mr. Trump from attacking court staff. Here’s a look at key moments in the trial

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