It’s a matter of opinion whether a courtroom artist complied with a request from Donald Trump Jr. to make him look “sexy” in her illustration of him — or whether it’s even possible to make the eldest son of former President Donald Trump look alluring, including as he testified Thursday in a civil fraud case that threatens his family’s real estate empire.
Nonetheless, Trump Jr. hoped the illustration would make him look attractive, the artist, Jane Rosenberg, told Insider.
“He said, ‘Make me look sexy,’” said Rosenberg, recounting “the lecherous request” Trump Jr. made to her as he “jovially” chatted with her after he testified, Insider and the Daily Mail said. Rosenberg, on assignment for Reuters news agency, is a famed courtroom artist who has drawn all sorts of celebrities who’ve appeared in court due to legal troubles, including Tom Brady and Harvey Weinstein, Insider said.
Donald Trump Jr. asks courtroom sketch artist to ‘Make me look sexy’ https://t.co/0jqa4clyui pic.twitter.com/cf8cKByZHV
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) November 2, 2023
Rosenberg added that Trump Jr. strangely offered up disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried as an inspiration for someone who’s been made to look good in a courtroom sketch.
An illustration of Bankman-Fried, testifying in a courthouse around the corner from the Trump Organization trial, went viral this week, Insider said. Rosenberg said Trump Jr. thought the image made the fallen cryptocurrency mogul, who is awaiting a jury verdict in his fraud trial, look like “a superstar.” She said Trump Jr. pulled out his phone, showed the image to her and told her, “Did you see the one they made of Sam Bankman-Fried? It made him look like a superstar.’”
The courtroom sketch artist in the Sam Bankman Fried trial might be the most generous person alive pic.twitter.com/8l7Nn0zCN2
— Tom Breen (@TJBreen) October 30, 2023
Rosenberg probably disappointed Trump Jr. by informing him, “It’s fake. It’s AI.” Indeed, Insider said the illustration of the famously schlubby Bankman-Fried appeared to have been generated with the use of artificial intelligence software and doesn’t resemble the work of courtroom artists who had been attending his trial.
The request from Trump Jr., who is engaged to Kimberly Guilfoyle, a conservative media personality and the ex-wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, came as he and his brother, Eric Trump, testified in a civil trial in New York State Court. New York Attorney General Letitia James has alleged that the former president, his two sons, his company and some other Trump Organization executives worked together to illegally falsify valuations of property in order to defraud lenders and insurers. Both Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are co-defendants.
Trump Jr. “was calm but defensive” during his testimony, seeking to blame accountants for errors on financial statements that a judge has already found were fraudulent, the New York Times said. Trump Jr. also said he had no involvement in preparing documents about the Trump Organization’s finances, even though he signed off on them.
The judge overseeing the case has already determined that Donald Trump, his sons and other defendants artificially inflated the values of properties in the family real estate empire, the Times reported. The trial is to determine the penalties for the fraud. James has asked for a $250 million penalty and that Trump and his sons be barred from practicing business in New York State.
