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Likely inaccurate assumption: Trump's lawyers are correct when they claim the banks made over
$100 million on Trump's loans. But let's play along with that for a moment.

Loans are about risk. If one has a lot of assets and not a lot of debt, then the interest rate for the loan is going to be lower because the chances the bank can get their money back is greater than one who doesn't have as many assets to offer as collateral for the loan. A pretty simple concept.

If Trump lied to the bank (which the judge effectively ruled he did) by representing that he was worth (for example) $3 billion instead of $1 billion, a bank that did not realize they had been lied to would give Trump a loan at a considerably lower interest rate. Instead of making $100 million for their bank loans, they could have made $150-200 million (loose example) if Trump had provided accurate figures to properly compensate them for their risk. It is a very simple business concept.

So although the banks may have made some money on the Trump loans, Trump defrauded the banks of income to get a lower interest rate.

People do things for a reason. Trump lied about his net worth for financial reasons: to cheat banks out of the fair interest they deserved, to cheat insurance companies out of the fair compensation they deserved and to cheat the government out of taxes. Just because the banks got some money, the insurance companies got some money and the government got some taxes doesn't mean Trump didn't defraud them them of what was rightfully due to them.

This is a snake oil salesman shell game argument to dupe folks via the media.

Trump Foundation charity was shutdown for fraudulent reasons and levied $2 million in damages.
Trump University was shutdown for fraudulent reasons and levied $25 million in damages.
Trump organization was found guilty last fall of 17 felonies of fraud and tax evasion.
Trump CFO Alan Weisselberg was found guilty last summer of 15 felonies of fraud and tax evasion.
Trump lawyer Michael Cohen was found guilty of 6 felonies of fraud and tax evasion.
The judge in this NY Civil case agreed that NY AG made her case that Trump had engaged in rampant fraud - her strong case was beyond reasonable debate.

The debate now is how much Trump is going to have to pay as he's already lost control of his companies that are being handed to a receiver.

The media should be laying out the above better than they have. Falling for "the bank got $100 million" is exactly what the fraudster wants them to do - to ignore the millions he cheated them out of. Likewise the insurance companies and governments who got ripped off.