Trump hit with gag order after taking shots at daughter of hush money trial judge
Palm Beach, Florida - Donald Trump has been hit with a partial gag order after launching an attack on Judge Juan Merchan and his daughter while ranting about his upcoming hush money trial.
The former president shared a lengthy rant to his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, where he began by complimenting the judge's looks, describing him as "a very distinguished looking man," before criticizing him for being a "certified Trump Hater."
He went on to take aim at Merchan's daughter, accusing her of working for some of his Democrat rivals.
"His daughter is a senior executive at a Super Liberal Democrat firm that works for Adam 'Shifty' Schiff, the Democrat National Committee, (Dem) Senate Majority PAC, and even Crooked Joe Biden," he wrote.
His comments came a day after Judge Merchan set a date for the beginning of the trial, despite multiple requests from Trump attorneys to further delay it. His legal team has previously asked Merchan to recuse himself from the case, citing his daughter's affiliations.
Later on Tuesday, Merchan imposed a partial gag order on Trump, ordering him not to publicly attack any potential witnesses, prosecutors, court staff, their family members, or prospective jurors.
Donald Trump set to go to trial next month
Trump is currently facing 34 criminal charges for allegedly falsifying business records in an effort to hide payments made to a porn star to cover up an affair.
Last month, New York Attorney General Alvin Bragg, who has led the case, requested that Judge Merchan impose a gag order on Trump, arguing his office has received countless threats since taking on the case.
The trial is scheduled to begin on April 15.
Cover photo: Nicholas Kamm / AFP