2/ Trump arrived at the courthouse and @atrupar posted a vid in which Trump says this AFTER a gag order was imposed on him:

Trump dehumanizes Letitia James as a "political animal"

And this AFTER his team failed to ask for a jury trial:

Trump: "If I had a jury we'd win this case very easily, but I don't have a jury ... this is the beginning of communism."

3/ Klasfeld: (ICYMI, this is a judge with a sense of humor as well as gravitas)

Trump's lawyer Jose Suarez tells the judge he's gotten the message: "I also understand that in the Great State of NY it's called a triplex," pronouncing it like "triple" instead of "tri-."

Co-counsel Chris Kise quips: "Judge, in the South, it's just called apartment."

Engoron asks if they have triplexes in South.

Kise replies: That's why we call it an apartment.

Bender's testimony begins shortly after that.

4/🙄 👉🏼After Engoron chides Trump's attorney against performative questioning by saying "There's no jury here," Trump audibly groans and mumbles a reaction.👈🏼🙄

Questioning turns to an engagement continuance form between Mazars and Trump Org from 2016-'17.

🙄 👉🏼 Trump keeps noisily (but, for those of us in the gallery, mostly inaudibly) complaining about the judge's remarks throughout the questioning. 👈🏼🙄

5/ Having a bad day, #Trump? 🎻

Via erica orden:

Trump is more animated today. Earlier, he shook his head & sighed after the judge made a quip about no jury being present. A few moments ago, he threw up his hands and muttered something after a lawyer asked the judge to instruct the witness, Donald Bender, to speak more clearly.

He is again throwing up his hands and muttering to his lawyer Alina Habba. He has been looking at papers she is handing him.

6/ Trump’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, cont’d.

Klasfeld:

Since the time of the last post, Trump appears to have taken out his frustrations on paper, jotting down notes and whispering to his lawyers. He sometimes shakes his head and points.

This is as animated and worked up as I have seen Trump inside a courtroom so far.

7/ Klasfeld:

Trump's settled down considerably.

Back to cross-ex.

Trump's lawyer Jose Suarez says the "buck stopped with you, Mr. Bender," a proposition the witness denies.

"We were not engaged—compilation did not require us to do" audits.

"We were not engaged to do method appraisals."

@GottaLaff

'"We were not engaged—compilation did not require us to do" audits.

"We were not engaged to do method appraisals."'

I'm not sure that I know what that means.....