CBS reports that Trump will assume the presidency of the United States with a debt exceeding half a billion dollars.

The newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump has accumulated a debt exceeding $500 million. This arose from a civil fraud case, in which the court ordered the politician to incur daily penalty interest.

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing CBS News.

The publication reminded that in February 2024, the New York state court ordered Trump, his two sons, and the former head of his company to pay $364 million in "ill-gotten gains," along with millions of dollars in interest from previous years. The total amount, which at that time was $464 million, continued to accrue more than $114,000 in interest daily. The court's decision is currently under appeal.

The spokesperson for the New York Attorney General, Letitia James, noted that as of December 29, 2024, the total debt exceeded $500 million, and as of Thursday, January 16, it stands at over $502 million.

Trump, who personally owes about $490 million of that total, is seeking a postponement from the Appellate Division of the First Department of the New York court. During the debates in September, at least two of the five appellate judges expressed skepticism about the decision regarding such payment. One of them described it as "huge" and "concerning."

However, while the defendants await the panel's decision, which is expected early this year, interest in the case continues to grow.

Typically, the court publishes its decisions on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and the case of the elected president was not among those released on January 16.

"This means that on Monday, January 20, Trump is likely to be sworn in as president with a debt to the state of New York that exceeds the combined proposed budget for 2025 for the sixth and seventh largest cities in the state - Albany and New Rochelle," notes CBS News.

Criminal Cases and Fines

On February 24, 2024, the New York state court ordered Donald Trump to officially pay $454.2 million. The decision was made for manipulating his own equity in a civil fraud case initiated by the New York Attorney General.

Trump contested the debt and the case, in which the judge concluded that he and his company manipulated spreadsheets provided to accountants to extract valuations submitted to banks and insurers. As a result, Judge Arthur Engoron found that the politician and his company received more favorable terms on loans and insurance deals than they would have otherwise.

According to the judge's conclusion, the total amount they may owe the state in damages equals the amount they gained through this scheme, plus interest.

During the court proceedings in 2023, Trump was summoned to court, where he blamed his staff and external accountants but stated that his accounting books were accurate. He claimed that his company not only did not overstate his assets and net worth but also "understated" them.

In addition to the half-billion dollars in the civil case in New York, Trump also owes over $88 million to writer E. Jean Carroll, after juries found him guilty of sexual assault and defamation in 2023 and 2024.

The newly elected U.S. president denies all charges and is appealing in all three cases.