Trump civil fraud case: Judge fines Trump $354 million, says frauds 'shock the conscience'

Attorneys Chris Kise, Alina Habba and Clifford Robert are scheduled to deliver closing arguments for the defense -- in addition to former President Trump, should Judge Arthur Engoron reverse his decision to bar Trump from participating.

Multiple legal experts who ABC News spoke with described Trump's attempt to deliver a closing statement as unprecedented and potentially perilous for the former president.

"One of the old adages is, 'He who represents himself has a fool for a client,'" trial attorney and Dartmouth College senior lecturer Bruce Fredrickson told ABC News. "The thinking behind that is you lose the objectivity and impartiality that an advocate can provide on your own behalf."

Closing arguments generally allow both parties to summarize the evidence and testimony presented during the trial -- but because Trump is not a lawyer, he would only be able to speak for himself as a named defendant in the case, according to trial attorney and ABC News contributor Chris Timmons.

"There's been a lot of damage done, and I don't know how much he can do to repair it, but he certainly can make things worse," Timmons said.

Donald Trump has arrived via motorcade at the lower Manhattan courthouse where closing arguments are scheduled to take place.

The former president pulled up shortly after New York Attorney General Letitia James arrived.

Traffic around the courthouse was briefly disrupted about half an hour before Trump's arrival by a group of protesters chanting "No dictators in the USA" as they waved signs and displayed a large banner.

Judge Arthur Engoron received a bomb threat at his New York home this morning, just hours before closing arguments are scheduled in Donald Trump's civil fraud trial, according to a court official.

In light of the threat, the court is adding additional security for the judge, the court official said.

Nassau County Police bomb technicians responded to Engoron's home out of an abundance of caution. Nassau County Police notified the court system of the threat, which they say they have determined to be unfounded.

Today's court proceedings are expected to proceed as planned.

Donald Trump is set to attend his civil fraud trial today, where he still hopes to participate in the defense's closing statement despite Judge Arthur Engoron rejecting that request yesterday.

The former president last night dismissed the idea that spending time in the courtroom is impacting his campaign ahead of Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary.

"No -- we're leading by record numbers," Trump told ABC News.

The defense team's closings are scheduled to take place from 10:15 a.m. ET to 12:45 p.m. ET, while the state's closing is scheduled from 2:15 p.m. ET to 4:30 p.m. ET.

The defense plans to use most of its allotted time, and the attorney general's office has indicated their closing statement would run roughly one hour, according to emails shared on the court's docket yesterday.