The measure is being taken against Trump's audit firm Mazars to issue the last eight years of declarations. The documents form part of the prosecutor's investigation into whether the president or anyone in his family was involved in payments to porn secretary Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, to keep quiet about alleged dealings with Trump.

The lawyer was sentenced to prison

Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen was sentenced in 2018 to three years in prison for paying women, including Clifford, during the 2016 election campaign.

Prosecutors are trying to find out if Trump's companies have posted the payments as legal expenses. In the state of New York, it is a crime to state false information in the declaration, but it will only be prosecuted if prosecutors can show that the information is given to conceal another crime.

Has not published the declaration

In the United States, it is tradition, but not law, for presidents, presidential candidates, and vice presidential candidates to publish their self-declarations. Trump has so far kept his declarations to himself, which has fueled speculation about his income and wealth.

Trump has previously appealed in federal court to other attempts to get his declarations out, including when Democrats in Congress have tried to get them out. According to the New York Times, it may be more difficult for Trump and his lawyers to appeal the trials in a state-level criminal investigation.