Donald Trump slams Judge Merchan hours after $9,000 fine

Former President Donald Trump has lashed out at the judge overseeing his New York hush-money criminal trial just hours after being hit with a $9,000 fine over gag order violations.

New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan fined the ex-president on Tuesday morning for violating the order in posts to his Truth Social account and on his campaign website. Merchan warned the ex-president that he could face time in jail if he continues to ignore the order.

In a post shared to Truth Social on Tuesday afternoon, Trump denounced Merchan as a “highly conflicted judge,” before accusing him of “rigging the presidential of 2024 election [sic].”

The Context

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, claiming that the case in New York and more than 50 other felony charges spread across three different criminal cases are part of a political “witch hunt” to prevent him from returning to the White House.

The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg accuses the ex-president of altering the records to conceal payments meant to keep adult-film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal quiet about alleged affairs prior to the 2016 presidential election. Trump denies that the affairs took place.

The gag order bans Trump from publicly discussing the trial’s jurors, witnesses and court staff—including the families of Merchan and Bragg. Prosecutors previously urged Merchan to fine Trump $10,000 for what they said were 10 different Truth Social posts violating the order.

Merchan on Tuesday agreed that the former president had violated the order nine times, holding him in contempt and fining him $9,000. Trump was also ordered to delete the posts, while Merchan warned him that additional violations could result in “an incarceratory punishment,” saying that “jail may be a necessary punishment” if further violations occur.

What We Know

Shortly after deleting the gag order-violating Truth Social posts on Tuesday, Trump accused Merchan of unfairly stripping him of his “constitutional right to free speech” and suggested that the judge was attempting to help President Joe Biden in November’s presidential election.

“This Judge has taken away my Constitutional Right to FREE SPEECH. I am the only Presidential Candidate in History to be GAGGED,” Trump wrote. “This whole ‘Trial’ is RIGGED, and by taking away my FREEDOM OF SPEECH, THIS HIGHLY CONFLICTED JUDGE IS RIGGING THE PRESIDENTIAL OF 2024 ELECTION [sic]. ELECTION INTERFERENCE!!!”

Views

Newsweek reached out for comment to Bragg’s office via email on Tuesday.

Trump continued railing against Merchan in an additional Truth Social post late Tuesday afternoon, insisting that the trial had “taken away” his “right to free speech.”

“This is a total Witch Hunt,” the former president wrote. “Hours of sitting down and listening to nothing except EXONERATION AND LIES. The Trial is going like a speeding bullet, because the Judge is working hard to make all of his friends happy.”

“Merchan is Rigged, Crooked, and, above all, and without question, CONFLICTED,” he added. “It’s a disgrace to our Country — They’ve taken away my Right to Free Speech. ELECTION INTERFERENCE!!!”

Shortly after the gag order was issued, Trump’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr. also claimed that his father was a victim of “election interference” in a post to X, formerly Twitter.

“Judge Merchan is threatening to put my father in jail if he keeps telling the truth about this crooked trial,” Trump Jr. wrote. “He doesn’t want my father to be able to defend himself publicly against the lies coming from Alvin Bragg and the Democrats. It’s election interference to help Joe Biden.”

What’s Next

While Trump could face stiffer penalties for additional gag order violations, his Truth Social posts on Tuesday are unlikely to result in jail time, as the order does not specifically apply to Merchan himself.

Merchan also said on Tuesday that Trump could go to his youngest son Barron Trump‘s high school graduation ceremony next month, saying that the May 17 date was not “a problem” and ending an extended period of the ex-president and his allies complaining that he was not being “allowed” to attend the ceremony.

Merchan, however, had not previously ruled on the request from the former president, which was submitted on the trial’s first day, indicating that a decision would be made when the trial schedule became more clear.