Former US president Donald Trump is the frontrunner in the 2024 Republican primary (ALLISON JOYCE)

Former President Donald Trump has appeared before a court in New York on a fraud trial that will look into his real estate empire, BBC reports.

Trump, currently leading the Republican race for the White House after losing to Joe Biden in 2020, arrived at the court appearing dismayed and spoke to reporters.

Shortly before entering the courtroom, Trump criticized the judge and the New York attorney general who brought the case, which he said is politically motivated.

Justice Engoron said the trial is scheduled to last from today until 2 December 2023, the Friday before Christmas.

Engoron said he’ll hear the case on Monday through Thursday all day and in the mornings on Friday.

The trial marks the start of a series of court battles that threaten to imprison the former president and derail his campaign to return to the White House in 2024.

Once this civil trial ends, he will appear again in New York for a second iteration of a rape case, a criminal trial in Washington for attempting a coup in 2021.

He will also appear for a criminal trial in Manhattan faking business papers, and a criminal trial in South Florida for hoarding classified documents at his oceanside mansion of Mar-a-Lago.