Donald Trump arrives in court ahead of evidence to civil fraud trial

Former president Donald Trump (Phelan M Ebenhack/AP)

Donald Trump arrived at a Manhattan courthouse in anticipation of hours of evidence in his civil fraud trial, a spectacle of a former president and the leading Republican presidential candidate defending himself against allegations that he dramatically inflated his net worth.

The charges cut to the very heart of the brand Mr Trump spent decades carefully crafting and put him at risk of losing control of much of his business empire.