A federal judge on Monday said U.S. President Donald Trump must hand over eight years of tax returns to Manhattan prosecutors, forcefully rejecting the president's argument that he was immune from criminal investigations.

The decision by, U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero in Manhattan, further complicates Trump's battle to keep his finances under wraps, despite having promised during his 2016 White House run that he would disclose his tax returns.

Trump's immunity claim was "repugnant to the nation's governmental structure and constitutional values," Marrero wrote. "The court cannot square a vision of presidential immunity that would place the President above the law."

The president quickly appealed the decision to the federal appeals court in Manhattan, which in a brief order temporarily halted enforcement of the subpoena by Cyrus Vance, the Manhattan district attorney.