Donald Trump Lashes Out at Judge Merchan Over Prison Threat

Donald Trump has attacked the judge in his hush money criminal trial after being warned that future gag order violations could send him to jail.

"It is a really bad feeling to have your Constitutional Right to Free Speech, such a big part of life in our Country, so unfairly taken from you, especially when all of the sleazebags, lowlifes, and grifters that you oppose are allowed to say absolutely anything that they want," the former president wrote on Truth Social early Wednesday.

He continued: "It is hard to sit back and listen to lies and false statements be made against you knowing that if you respond, even in the most modest fashion, you are told by a Corrupt and Highly Conflicted Judge that you will be PUT IN PRISON, maybe for a long period of time."

Newsweek has contacted a Trump spokesperson via email for further comment.

The Manhattan trial, now in its third week, concerns allegations that Trump falsified business records at his company in connection with a payment made by Michael Cohen, his lawyer at the time, to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to conceal an extramarital sexual encounter during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying the records and denied all wrongdoing in the case, including the encounter.

On Monday, Judge Juan Merchan raised the threat of jail as he fined Trump $1,000 for violating the gag order again. He fined Trump $9,000 last week for nine violations of the gag order.

"It appears that the $1,000 fines are not serving as a deterrent. Therefore, going forward, this court will have to consider a jail sanction," Merchan told Trump. Trump's statements "threaten to interfere with the fair administration of justice and constitute a direct attack on the rule of law. I cannot allow that to continue," the judge said.

The gag order, originally issued in March, bars Trump from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and others connected to the trial

The gag order protections do not apply to Merchan or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office brought the case against Trump. However, Merchan expanded it on April 1 to prohibit Trump from making statements about Merchan's family and Bragg's family after Trump repeatedly assailed the judge's daughter.

In his post on Truth Social, Trump also said he was being targeted in an effort to derail his bid to reclaim the White House. This November, Trump is expected to run against President Joe Biden in a rematch of the 2020 race.

"This Fascist mindset is all coming from D.C. It is a sophisticated hit job on Crooked Joe Biden's Political Opponent, ME!" Trump wrote.

He also said that other judges who oversaw his civil fraud and defamation trials were "corrupt."

"What these THUGS are doing is AN ATTACK ON THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, AND OUR ONCE GREAT NATION ITSELF," Trump wrote. "OUR FIRST AMENDMENT MUST STAND, FREE AND STRONG. 'GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!'"

Update 5/8/24, 10:28 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and background.