Former President Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the judge overseeing his criminal trial in New York ― and attacked his daughter as well ― just a day after the judge imposed a gag order barring him from speaking about the case.
Trump posted messages on his Truth Social media platform that attack Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the criminal trial centered on hush money payments made to block allegations against him in the final days of the 2016 presidential election. Merchan imposed a gag order on Tuesday that bars Trump from making any public statements about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff or jurors in the trial, citing the former president’s history of tirades about the case.
Merchan, an acting justice of the New York State Supreme Court in New York County, said it was “without question that the imminency of the risk of harm is now paramount.”
Notably, the gag order does not apply to remarks about Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg or about Merchan and his family.
“Judge Juan Merchan, who is suffering from an acute case of Trump Derangement Syndrome … has now issued another illegal, un-American, unConstitutional ‘order,’ as he continues to try and take away my Rights,” Trump wrote in his post. “This Judge, by issuing a vicious ‘Gag Order,’ is wrongfully attempting to deprive me of my First Amendment Right to speak out against the Weaponization of Law Enforcement.”
The former president also attacked Merchan’s daughter, claiming she had used an image of Trump behind bars as a profile picture on X, the social media platform formerly called Twitter.
“So, let me get this straight, the Judge’s daughter is allowed to post pictures of her ‘dream’ of putting me in jail, the Manhattan D.A. is able to say whatever lies about me he wants, the Judge can violate our Laws and Constitution at every turn, but I am not allowed to talk about the attacks against me,” Trump wrote.
But a spokesperson for New York’s state court…
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