Former President Donald Trump was warned by Acting New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan against using social media to incite violence among his supporters and readers after making threatening statements on his social media platform, Truth Social.
The judge was concerned that Trump would try to incite violence after he 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 defended the post, claiming that he was displaying an American-made bat and was not swinging it at Bragg’s head.
The former president surrendered to police in New York City on Tuesday after being charged with 34 felonies in connection with alleged hush money payments he made through his lawyer before the 2016 presidential election.
Judge Merchan did not impose a formal gag order on Trump but stated that his social media posts should not incite violence or civil unrest.
During the hearing, Judge Merchan emphasized that words matter and that they could either inspire or incite violence, especially with the ability of social media to reach millions of people in seconds.
Several media outlets’ requests to broadcast the proceedings were denied, while Trump had a filmmaker record the proceedings.
Trump accused Judge Merchan of hating him following his indictment. He faces several criminal charges, including falsifying business records.
Trump has a history of using social media to encourage his supporters to attack opponents. After the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, Twitter permanently suspended his account, but Elon Musk later reinstated it. His Facebook account was suspended for two years.