Trump gets $289M break, first criminal trial date

What happened

A New York appeals court ruled on Monday that former President Donald Trump must post a $175 million bond in his civil fraud case, slashing the initial $464 million sum and giving him 10 additional days to deposit the funds. An hour later, Judge Juan Merchan said Trump's separate criminal hush-money trial will begin April 15.

Who said what

Trump vowed to "post whatever is necessary" to avoid seizure of his assets and criticized Merchan's trial date as "election interference." Trump is still "facing accountability for his staggering fraud," a spokesperson for New York Attorney General Letitia James said.

The commentary

Trump is the beneficiary of "special treatment" and his own "private system of justice," former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele said. The reduced bond amount "makes absolutely no sense."

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What next?

Merchan's ruling all but ensures Trump "will hold the dubious distinction of becoming the first former American president to be criminally prosecuted," The New York Times said, even if this is the only criminal case that goes to trial before the election.