One of the highlights of former President Donald Trump's tenure in office, and one he leans into quite frequently, is that no new wars were started under his watch and that relations with nuclear-armed communist North Korea, at least for a time, were substantially improved and walked back from the brink of conflict.

Now, in a newly released video of his deposition last year in the New York civil fraud case, Trump can be seen taking credit for averting a "nuclear holocaust" and "saving millions of lives," according to NBC News.

Excerpts from Trump's hours-long videotaped deposition on April 13, 2023, in the civil fraud case were publicly released on Friday by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is seeking to financially cripple Trump's real estate empire and ban him from conducting business in the state.

Saved "millions of lives" by avoiding "nuclear war"

At one point during the deposition, when asked if he had been too busy to manage his company while also serving in the White House, former President Trump said, "I was very busy" with the presidency and that "I considered this the most important job in the world, saving millions of lives."

"I think you would have nuclear holocaust if I didn't deal with North Korea," he explained. "I think you would have a nuclear war if I weren't elected. And I think you might have a nuclear war now, if you want to know the truth."

NBC News noted that Trump entered office in 2017 with exceptionally sharp "fire and fury" rhetoric against North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un but then later developed a more friendly relationship with Kim and famously became the first U.S. president to set foot north of the Korean Peninsula's demilitarized border.

However, those once-promising talks with the communist regime later broke down over disagreements about a nuclear disarmament plan, and North Korea has since resumed its provocative missile launches and nuclear tests in the past few years after Trump left office.

Trump sharply criticized AG James

CBS News reported that former President Trump's April 2023 deposition with the New York Attorney General's Office -- a transcript of which was released last year -- was at times "combative" but also largely tracked with the testimony he later delivered on the stand during the trial in November.

One particular similarity was his rhetorical attacks on AG James and other attorneys working for her on the civil fraud case that he described then as a "disgrace" and a "shame," especially in light of other crimes that were plaguing New York City.

"You don't have a case and you should drop this case," Trump told James. "And it's a shame that somebody that's done such a good job, the Convention Center in New York, so many things I did for this city, the job on the west side of Manhattan, thousands of people employed. And now I have to come and justify myself to you."

"I have to come after doing all of that and paid massive taxes, state taxes, and city taxes. And now I have to come in here and justify myself, and have crowds of people waiting in the street. It's a disgrace," he added.

Trump attributed political success to his valuable "brand" name

According to the Associated Press, another notable highlight of former President Trump's deposition in the New York civil fraud case was the claim that his "brand" name, which he estimated to be worth "maybe $10 billion" and is "the most valuable asset I have," was what helped him win the 2016 election.

Trump asserted, "I became president because of the brand, OK. I became president. I think it’s the hottest brand in the world."

The AP noted that Trump also spoke at length about many of the properties he owns and, as he tends to do, made frequent use of various superlatives like "beautiful," "incredible," "phenomenal," and "unbelievable" to describe those assets.