Donald Trump Demands Gag Order Immediately Be Lifted

Donald Trump has called for the gag order imposed in his hush-money trial to be lifted as the high-profile case continues.

Writing on his social media platform Truth Social, the presumptive Republican nominee for the presidential election called the order "unprecedented and constitutional."

Judge Juan Merchan imposed a gag order on Trump in March, prohibiting the Republican from making public comments about prosecutors, witnesses, jurors, or any of their associated family members, in the high-profile hush-money case. The case will determine whether Trump falsified business records over payments to former adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep an alleged affair secret before the 2016 election, as alleged in a criminal indictment. Trump has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to all 34 charges against him.

The gag order was expanded in April to include prohibitions on Trump making statements about Merchan's family as well as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Meanwhile, Merchan scheduled a hearing last Tuesday over claims that Trump's social media posts linking to articles that attacked his former lawyer Michael Cohen or claimed that "undercover liberal activists" are lying to the judge to get on the jury were a violation of the gag order.

Prosecutors have asked the judge to fine Trump $10,000 in total for 10 violations, but the judge held off on making a ruling during the Tuesday hearing.

"45th President Donald J. Trump is again the Republican Nominee for President of the United States, and is currently dominating in the Polls," Trump wrote as the second week of the trial came to a close.

He continued: "However, he is being inundated by the Media with questions because of this Rigged Biden Trial, which President Trump is not allowed to comment on, or answer, because of Judge Juan Merchan's UNPRECEDENTED AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL Gag Order. His Opponents have unlimited rights to question, but he has no right to respond. There has never been a situation like this in our Country's History, a Candidate that is not allowed to answer questions. Even Crooked Joe Biden is talking about the Sham Case, and others inspired by his Administration. We request that Judge Merchan immediately LIFT THE GAG ORDER, so that President Trump is able to freely state his views, feelings, and policies. He is asking for his Constitutional Right to Free Speech. If it is not granted, this again becomes a Rigged Election!"

Newsweek contacted a representative for Trump by email to comment on this story.

In another take, legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann suggested Merchan should impose a monitor for the ex-president's social media posts to ensure compliance with his gag order.

"If Judge Merchan doesn't want to put Trump in jail now for contempt, he should impose a monitor now to screen his social media so they don't violate the gag order," he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The trial enters its third week today.