Before his trial in Manhattan was set to resume, former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Thursday to criticize Judge Juan Merchan for the gag order that led to a fine earlier in the week.
Trump didn’t hold back, labeling Merchan as “corrupt and highly conflicted” and alleging interference in the upcoming 2024 presidential election, as per reports from Mediaite.
In an all-caps post, Trump emphasized the urgency of the situation: “We cannot let this radical left, corrupt, and highly conflicted New York Democrat judge interfere with the presidential election of 2024 — the most important election in the history of our country. The USA is truly a nation in decline! Remove the unconstitutional gag order.”
Merchan found Trump in contempt of court on Tuesday for repeatedly violating the gag order he had established, levying a $9,000 fine as a consequence.
While the gag order doesn’t restrict Trump from discussing the case, which revolves around business records related to payments made to former adult film actor Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election, it does prohibit him from targeting jurors, court staff, witnesses, prosecution lawyers, and other involved parties.
Merchan imposed the maximum fines allowed, $1,000 per offense, and issued a warning that future violations could result in jail time for Trump. Additionally, he mandated the removal of seven offending posts from Trump’s Truth Social account and two others from his campaign website, a demand to which Trump complied.
