On Tuesday in New York City, Former President Donald Trump was warned by the judge presiding over his legal case, Acting New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, against using social media to incite violence and civil unrest among his supporters and social media readers.
After making threatening statements on his social media platform Truth Social recently, the judge was concerned that Trump would try to incite violence. Trump tweeted a picture of himself holding a baseball bat next to a picture of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, warning of pending death and destruction if he was charged with crimes.
Trump’s attorneys, Joe Tacopina and Todd Blanche, held a press conference following Trump’s arraignment. Tacopina defended Trump’s post, claiming that he was displaying an American-made bat and was not swinging it at Bragg’s head.
On Tuesday, the former president surrendered to police in New York City after being charged with 34 felonies in connection with alleged hush money payments he made through his lawyer right before the 2016 presidential election.
Judge Merchan did not impose a formal gag order on Trump.
Several requests from media outlets to broadcast the proceedings were rejected. Trump, on the other hand, had a filmmaker with him to record the proceedings.
Following his indictment, Trump went on the offensive against Judge Merchan, claiming that the judge “hates” him.
According to the judge, Trump is facing several criminal charges, including falsifying business records. Judge Merchan did not prevent Trump from publicly speaking, but he did state that his social media posts should not incite violence or civil unrest.
During the hearing on Tuesday, Judge Merchan stated that the ability of social media to reach millions of people in seconds is well-known, and that it has become clear that words matter. He claimed that words could either inspire or incite violence.
Trump has a history of using social media to both energize and encourage his supporters to attack opponents. Following the deadly attack at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, he was permanently suspended from Twitter, later reinstated by Elon Musk, and his Facebook account was suspended for two years.
