Donald Trump Rages at Judge Immediately After Gag Order Lifted

Donald Trump launched a fiery social media attack on Judge Arthur Engoron, who is overseeing his New York civil fraud trial, almost immediately after a gag order banning him from criticizing court officials was temporarily lifted.

Writing on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, he described Engoron as a "Trump Hating, Radical Left Judge" and accused him of participating in a "wicked attack on democracy."

Trump, along with the Trump Organization and his two adult sons, are being tried in a $250 million civil lawsuit over claims they fraudulently overvalued their assets in a bid to get more favorable bank loans and tax deals. The former president, and 2024 Republican frontrunner in the polls for the , has strongly denied any wrongdoing, saying that in some cases his properties were actually undervalued.

On Thursday, a state intermediate appeals court, headed by Judge David Friedman, granted a temporary stay on Engoron's gag order effectively suspending it due to the "constitutional and statutory rights at issue."

Engoron had previously fined Trump $15,000 in total for violating the order twice after commenting about his law clerk Allison Greenfield, including baselessly suggesting she was in a relationship with Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Posting on his Truth Social website after the order was temporarily lifted Trump hit out at Engoron and Greenfield, commenting: "His Ridiculous and Unconstitutional Gag Order, not allowing me to defend myself against him and his politically biased and out of control, Trump Hating Clerk, who is sinking him and his Court to new levels of LOW, is a disgrace."

He said Engoron's actions would "keep BUSINESSES and JOBS forever out of New York State" adding: "This wicked attack on Democracy must be ended, NOW!"

Newsweek has reached out to Donald Trump for comment via the press inquiry form on his official website.

A few hours later Trump continued his attack in a second post, writing: "Trump Hating, Radical Left Judge, Arthur Engoron, is, sadly, the most overturned Judge in New York State.

"He was just stayed on his Gag Order, which Unconstitutionally prohibited me & my attorneys from talking about important elements of a Fraud case where it was he & Letitia James that committed the Fraud by knowingly, substantially, & outrageously devaluing my asset values in order to make me look guilty of something which I did not do. In actuality, witnesses & experts have proven conclusively that my Financial Statements Value is LOW, or very Conservative, not HIGH, as they were claiming."

The gag order will remain lifted until Judge Friedman rules on whether or not it is unconstitutional, as Trump's legal team is claiming.

In September, Engoron agreed with prosecutors that the Trumps had overvalued their properties, saying: "A discrepancy of this order of magnitude, by a real estate developer sizing up his own living space of decades, can only be considered fraud." He is yet to rule on six other accusations, including falsifying business records, insurance fraud, and conspiracy claims.

The New York case is civil, not criminal, meaning there is no possibility of Trump or any other defendant facing prison time if convicted. The former president is also facing four separate criminal trials over claims he orchestrated the payment of hush money to a adult film actor, mishandled classified documents and broke the law attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election result both nationally and in the state of Georgia specifically. Trump has pled not guilty to all counts and has insisted the charges against him are politically motivated.

Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son and one of the defendants, testified on Monday in the New York civil case as the first witness for the defense. He, along with his father, brother Eric and sister Ivanka, had previously been called as witnesses by prosecutors. Trump Jr. used his latest court appearance to boast about the "sexiness" of his father's real estate empire, insisting: "He was a real visionary."