The judge overseeing Trump's hush money case rejected his request to loosen the gag order so he can publicly discuss the testimony of Stormy Daniels, a porn actor, now that she has finished testifying in his trial.
The gag order on Trump restricts his ability to criticize witnesses and others, making him stop attacking some of his usual targets on social media to avoid going to jail.
After Daniels was excused, Trump attorney Todd Blanche argued that the witness had changed her story, referring to the defense's cross-examination strategies.
Blanche said, "He needs a chance to speak to the public," and added that the reasons for the gag order no longer apply. "She is no longer a witness," Blanche stated.
Judge Juan Merchan denied the request from the bench, keeping the restrictions that prevent Trump from criticizing the adult film star, who is one of the main witnesses for the prosecution.
Merchan said, "That's simply not the case." "The reason why the gag order is in place is because of the nature of these attacks—the hostility," he added.
The gag order prohibits Trump from insulting witnesses, jurors, prosecutors, court staff, or the judge's family. However, it does not prohibit Trump from attacking the judge himself or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D).
Bragg's office opposed Trump's request. Prosecutor Chris Conroy said the defense was living in an "alternate reality."
Conroy said, "There's no other perspective out there; there is a legal process that this order aims to protect."
Trump and his legal team have claimed that the restrictions violate his First Amendment rights, emphasizing the need to counter political attacks given his status as the presumptive Republican nominee.
Trump stated in a video posted on Truth Social that appears to have been filmed at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Wednesday, "This judge has taken away my constitutional right to free speech. I am the only presidential candidate in history to be gagged. They don't want me talking."
During her highly anticipated testimony in court this week, the porn actor repeated her claims of having had sex with Trump at a 2006 celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, which Trump denies.
Ella Lee and Lauren Sforza contributed.
