Donald Trump's Terrible April Fools' Day

Donald Trump suffered a disastrous April Fools' Day as his media company's value tanked, a gag order was expanded to stop him attacking a judge's daughter online and #TrumpIsHiding trended on X, formerly Twitter.

The latest blows are compounded by a series of polls indicating Trump may have lost the national lead he enjoyed over President Biden at the beginning of the year. He has faced a sharpened focus on both his policies and ongoing legal difficulties since he became presumptive GOP White House nominee on March 12, after the primaries.

A Securities and Exchange Commission financial disclosure on Monday from Trump Media & Technology Group Corporation, the parent company of his Truth Social website, revealed it made just $4.1 million in revenue over the last operating year, despite having to pay $58.2 million in expenses.

In response, the company's value fell by around 27 percent by lunchtime, with its share price bottoming out at $47 before recovering slightly to $48.66 when trading closed.

Speaking to Newsweek Professor Todd Landman, an expert in political science at the University of Nottingham in the U.K., commented: "The filing shows that the company had just over $4 million in revenue and $58 million in costs, leading many commentators to declare that the company profile is one of a meme stock, with the majority of shares owned by the former president."

On Monday night Justice Merchan, who is overseeing Trump's Stormy Daniels hush money case, extended the ex-president's gag order to stop him attacking his daughter, Loren Merchan, on Truth Social.

Trump had repeatedly hit out at Loren Merchan, president of political consulting company Authentic Campaigns, which has listed Vice President Kamala Harris' 2020 presidential campaign, Kamala Harris for the People, the Biden-Harris campaign and Schiff's super Political Action Committee (PAC) as clients.

The move sparked a furious response from Trump who posted: "I just was informed that another corrupt New York Judge, Juan Merchan, GAGGED me so that I can not talk about the corruption and conflicts taking place in his courtroom with respect to a case that everyone, including the D.A., felt should never have been brought.

"They can talk about me, but I can't talk about them??? That sounds fair, doesn't it? This Judge should be recused, and the case should be thrown out."

New York prosecutors have charged Trump with 34 felonies, accusing him of falsifying business records and concealing hush-money payments made to adult-film actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to all of his criminal charges and insists that his legal difficulties, which include a number of recent civil judgments, are part of a coordinated effort by Democrats to block him from returning to the White House.

Monday also saw #TrumpIsHiding trend on X in the U.S. with users posting a series of jokes and memes attacking the Republican firebrand.

Referencing Trump selling Bibles for $59.99 one user posted the hashtag alongside a meme stating: "If you are buying a Bible from a guy who had an affair with a porn star while his wife was at home with their new born child...You must be a special kind of stupid."

Newsweek has contacted representatives of Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign for comment by email.

In better news for Trump, the $175 million bond he was ordered to pay in his civil fraud case by New York Judge Arthur Engoron was posted on Monday by the California based Knight Specialty Insurance Company.

The former president was originally ordered to pay $454 million in damages after New York State Supreme Court justice Engoron found him and others associated with The Trump Organization liable of misleading lenders. An appeals court granted Trump's request last week to lower his bond amount to $175 million after the former president's lawyers argued that it was a "practical impossibility" to fulfill the original penalty.

Trump has strongly denied any wrongdoing in the case and intends to appeal the judgment. If upheld, Trump will be required to pay $454 million in damages and associated interest payments. In the meantime, the $175 million bond ensures that New York Attorney General Letitia James does not seize any of his assets or bank accounts during his appeal proceedings.

The former president is also facing 40 federal charges over his handling of sensitive materials retrieved from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, after leaving the White House in January 2021. He is accused of obstructing efforts by federal authorities to return them. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The former president has also been charged with 18 others over efforts to allegedly overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, which Trump claimed was stolen from him despite a lack of evidence. The investigation focused on Trump's phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which he allegedly asked him to find enough votes to tilt the election in his favor against Joe Biden, and the alleged plot to submit a false slate of pro-Trump electors to the Electoral College. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges, maintaining his innocence.