NEW YORK — Donald Trump can’t personally deliver closing arguments at his New York fraud trial because he refused to abide by “reasonable, lawful limits” set by the court, Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron told his lawyers on Wednesday.

After making the highly unusual request last week, the former president blew multiple chances to assure the court he’d play fair, thereby forfeiting the opportunity to speak himself, Engoron said in a string of emails to Trump’s defense team included in court documents.

“Not having heard from you by the third extended deadline (noon today), I assume that Mr. Trump will not agree to the reasonable, lawful limits I have imposed as a precondition to giving a closing statement above and beyond those given by his attorneys, and that, therefore, he will not be speaking in court tomorrow,” Engoron wrote Wednesday.

Trump lawyer Chris Kise wrote Engoron and lawyers for the New York attorney general on Jan. 4 to say the current Republican front-runner in the presidential race planned to deliver part of the defense’s summation in the case threatening his family real estate empire. AG Letitia James opposed the unheard-of request, but Engoron said he would allow Trump to say his piece if he promised not to veer outside of issues relevant to the case.

“He may not seek to introduce new evidence. He may not ‘testify.’ He may not comment on irrelevant matters. In particular, and without limitation, he may not deliver a campaign speech, and he may not impugn myself, my staff, plaintiff, plaintiff’s staff, or the New York State court system, none of which is relevant to this case,” the judge said in a Jan. 5 email.

Any violation of the rules, Engoron said, would result in him cutting off and admonishing Trump without hesitation. He said he’d fine him $50,000 if he violated a limited gag order prohibiting him from commenting on Engoron’s staff, which Trump’s been fined $15,000 for breaking twice.

Kise on Tuesday told the judge Trump wouldn’t agree to the “untenable” ground rules prohibiting criticisms of the AG, imploring the court to let Trump riff without limits. The judge refused, extending the deadline another few hours.

Trump’s lawyer then asked for yet another extension and to push back closing arguments in light of the death of his wife Melania’s mother, Amalija Knavs. Engoron denied that early Wednesday while sending Trump his condolences, pointing out the massive security precautions taken ahead of his court appearances and giving him another few hours to decide.

After Kise declined to assure the judge Trump would abide, Engoron urged the lawyer to make a decision immediately.