Trump bond reduced to $175 million in NY fraud case

In a last-minute decision, a panel of state Appellate Division judges, all appointed by Democratic governors, ruled in favor of the former president, providing a major victory and relief. His attorneys had previously argued that coming up with the larger bond amount was practically impossible. The ruling also prevents the state Attorney General Letitia James' office from immediately collecting on the judgment.

"I greatly respect the decision of the appellate division and I'll post the $175 million in cash or bonds or security or whatever is necessary very quickly within the 10 days, and I thank the appellate division for acting quickly," Trump said to cameras after leaving a New York courtroom for a hearing in the hush money case.

Prior to the ruling, Trump was facing a liability of $454 million, the majority of which was due to the fraud judgment. This amount had been increasing by over $111,000 per day due to accrued interest.

On social media, Trump claimed on Friday that he had nearly $500 million in cash reserved for his 2024 presidential campaign. However, he has not used his personal funds for his presidential campaigns since 2016.

Last week, he had also mentioned the possibility of mortgaging or selling off his properties, expressing that he would be compelled to do so at "Fire Sale prices."

In court filings, his lawyers pointed out that bond companies typically require collateral of approximately 120% of the judgment amount, which in this case would be around $557 million.