DA's office seeks up to $1K fine for every Trump post violating gag order, Internet says 'not enough'

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump claimed that the former president was in violation of the gag order that prevented him from attacking witnesses and jurors on social media during trial on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.

Since the order went into effect on April 1, Trump has been accused of undermining it at least 10 times, and the Manhattan District Attorney's office is seeking the maximum $1,000 fine from the defendant for each of his 10 posts, reported NBC News.

They also want Judge Juan Merchan to order Trump to remove the posts from his social media platform, as well as warn him that any future violations may land him in jail for up to 30 days, along with additional fines.

Debate over the gag order

The hearing on the gag order took place before the jury reconvened in the courtroom, with the prosecution arguing that Trump should be held in criminal contempt over a series of Truth Social posts that appeared to be in violation.

"His disobedience of the order is willful, it’s intentional. He knows what he’s not allowed to do and he does it anyway," said prosecutor Chris Conroy.

Todd Blanche, Trump's attorney, argued that “there was absolutely no willful violation” of the order, and the posts were simply in response to a “barrage of political attacks.” However, when Judge Merchan asked about the specifics of the attacks, Blanche struggled to answer.

“I keep asking you over and over to give me an example and I’m not getting an answer,” said the judge, noting that the defense lawyer was "losing all credibility" with his argument, according to NBC. He reserved a decision on the issue until a later time.

Internet reacts on the subject of $1,000 fine

Netizens slammed the former president for non-compliance with the gag order, as the following tweets demonstrate.

"He should have kept his mouth shut. It is called consequences," wrote a social media user.

"When you defy an order, that’s what happens," echoed another.

"$1000 per disregard is not enough. Period," stated a third.

"Does he even have a thousand dollars?" asked a fourth.

"Maybe he should comply 🤷‍ We have rules and laws for a reason. Don't do the crime if ya can't do the time...," commented a fifth user.

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