Trump says he has almost half a billion in cash, doesn't want to use it to pay New York judgment

Former President Donald Trump said on Friday that while he does have almost half a billion dollars in cash, he doesn't want to spend it on the recent $454 million New York civil fraud judgment. 

The 45th president said he would much rather spend that money on his 2024 presidential campaign, according to The Associated Press.

As recently as Thursday of this week, Trump's lawyers had told the court through filings that they were having trouble getting a bond to cover the judgment. 

But on Friday, it was announced that Trump's social media company TRUTH Social will become a publicly traded company after shareholders voted Friday to merge with Digital World Acquisition Corp. This merger could be worth as much as $3.5 billion to Trump's personal wealth. 

Trump was ordered by a judge to pay a $454 million civil fraud penalty after New York Democratic Attorney General Letitia James alleged that Trump manipulated the value of his assets to secure favorable loan terms and lower insurance premiums.

Trump attempted to put a pause on the payment, but Judge Arthur Engoron rejected it.

The former president said he would take the verdict to the Supreme Court if necessary.

“They can’t take away your property before you’ve had a chance to appeal," Trump said during an interview on Fox News.