During the civil fraud trial of Donald Trump, the presiding judge continually urged brevity in his responses on Monday, emphasizing that the proceedings were not a political rally.

The former president, who is also a prominent Republican presidential candidate, was testifying in a lawsuit that alleges he significantly exaggerated his net worth.

“We don’t have time to waste. We have one day to do this,” an exasperated Judge Arthur Engoron said. At another point, turning to Trump’s attorney, the judge said, “I beseech you to control him if you can. If you can’t, I will.”

The interactions highlighted Trump’s reluctance to conform to the formal courtroom atmosphere, which adheres to rules of evidence and legal procedure, and clashed with his well-known unrestrained rhetorical style, the Associated Press reported.

Although his testimony served as a stark reminder of the legal challenges he confronts while pursuing a return to the White House in 2024, it also provided a platform for his campaign, enabling him to once more assert his allegations of being politically targeted by government attorneys and judges.

“I think this is a political witch hunt and she should be ashamed of herself,” Trump said, referring to New York state Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat whose office brought the case. “This is the opposite of fraud. The fraud is her.”

The civil trial is just one of several legal challenges facing Trump, as he contends with both federal and state charges, alleging offenses such as the unlawful retention of classified documents and conspiring to subvert the 2020 presidential election.

Written by B.C. Begley